Charlotte Harris, Resident Genius
by Wethelivingfan821
Summary: Charlie Harris got wrapped up in something that Torchwood didn't exactly agree with. Now, she has to face the consequences, but it seems the consequences are not as bad as she thought they would be after she meets Ianto Jones. Rated T for mild language
1. Chapter 1

"Have you started phase one yet?" I hissed into my earpiece. Static was my only reply. I took a few deep breathes. This was my masterpiece and I would make sure that it all went off without any problems. "Browning, you better have started phase one or I will set this thing on you instead!" I flipped open my netbook, scanning the area and checking on the creatures vital signs.

"Torchwood is here."

I stifled a laugh as I walked into the main room of the warehouse. They stood, guns pointed directly at me. It was almost cute how they thought they could kill me. I had done my research about them, all of them. I knew their names, their birthdays, their former occupations. I knew how Torchwood worked, inside and out. I had hacked into their computer system. I smiled and walked up to Captain Jack Harkness, first in command. He looked me over, his eyes stern.

"Charlie Harris, resident genius." They looked at me blankly, watching for my next move. "Don't all speak at once." I said flatly. Captain Jack stepped towards me, lowering his gun.

"You have caused the death of four people and harmed an innocent creature." He was right up in my face. I fought hard to control my laughter. This was all just too funny to me.

"First, Jack, this is really erotic. Second, the Manicallicans are not innocent. They are one of the most dangerous creatures in the Levini galaxy." I smirked as Jack stepped back, slightly awestruck. "They can paralyze a human in 3.4 seconds and kill one in 6. They're skin is coated in a deadly poison, one touch and soon an entire planets can be infected." I stated matter-of-factually. Torchwood lowered their guns, looking confused.

"Ms. Harris, please inform us of how you know all that?" An Asian women stepped forward, glasses perched on the tip of her nose. She now had a hand-held computer in her hand and was looking over it, feverishly.

"Well, Toshiko Sato, I did my research." I smirked at her again as she stared at me, slightly frightened. "How stupid do you think I am?" Jack's eyebrows furrowed. "I'd be careful, Jack. You might get wrinkles." I laughed as his forehead relaxed.

"Charlie, you are quite the interesting character." He raised his stungun and sent a shock through my entire body.

"Ow..." I slowly opened my eyes, blinded by a florescent light. The ground beneath me was cool and rock hard. I shivered slightly against it and twisted to crack my back.

"Jack, she's awake." A muffled voice said. I slowly began to see my surroundings. It was a small cell, with a stone bench and a think glass wall. A tall man stood on the other side of the glass wall, hidden in the shadows.

"Yes, vitals are normal." I saw him nod once and step into the light. "Good morning." He was dressed in a suit, tailored to his body. He had a straight, stern look on his face. "Do you know who you are?" He held a clipboard.

"Charlotte Harris." I said flatly, slowly standing up. He watched me, cautiously. I looked him over, placing his identity. Ianto Jones, in charge of covering up any damage Torchwood creates.

"How do you feel?" He spoke after scribbling on his clipboard. I rubbed my neck and yawned.

"Do you really care?" I dropped on to the bench. He watched me for a second, waiting for a reply. "I'm fine." I watched him scribble some more. He would continue to look up at me, looking me over. He never looked at my face though.

"Alright." He disappeared, leaving me locked in a cell by myself, very annoyed and sore. I laid down, hitting my head on the stone.

"Can I get a damn pillow or something?" I yelled, looking right into the cameras planted to watch the cells. I had to say, they weren't exactly hidden.

"No need to yell, I am right here." Someone laughed from the corner. I walked up and looked into the dimly lit room. A billowing jacket was outlined by light from the hallway.

"Jackie Boy! How are you?" I watched as Jack walked into the light.

"Don't call me that." He barked, his face an inch away from the glass.

"You can't keep away, can you? I will admit, I am gorgeous." I smiled, my hand resting on the glass where Jack's hand was. Jack pulled away and crossed his arms. " Aw, don't try to hide your feelings. It's not healthy." Jack puffed up his chest, trying to look tough.

"Charlotte, I will not put up with this for long. I'd watch your tongue." Jack hissed, flashed a false smile and disappeared.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hello." My head snapped up as I heard the large steel door squeal open. I looked up and smiled.

"Oh, hello, Melanie." I smiled at the petite blonde women. She was dresses in a white coat and help a clipboard. "More clipboards, I see."

"You have to stop doing that. It's really creepy." She snapped a pair of handcuffs around my wrists before dragging me out the cell and up the stairs. "Jack is putting you through a series of tests. Today we begin. They are basic test." I nodded. I had been through tests like this before. I was a freak to most people, with the intellect I have. I knew what was ahead of me.

"How long is this going to take? I have an appointment to stare at a wall in twenty minutes." I grumbled as she led me through the main room. The rest of Torchwood watched me, warily, as if I were about to kill one of them at any moment. I glared at them, each of them turning away and back to their work.

"It won't take long, just some questions." Melanie helped me up onto the exam table.

"So, what test is it today? Physical? Memory?" I looked around the vast main room, the computers, the people, the pterodactyl?

"IQ. Jack insists. Seems to think you are intelligent or something." Melanie laughed quietly. I rolled my eyes.

"No need to be jealous, some of us can't help it." I swung my feet, looking over the handcuffs. "These are nifty handcuffs. Neo-metalloid steel? Fancy." I didn't tell them that I knew a basic acid could eat through these in seconds.

"Will you shut up?" Melanie hissed, flipping through her clipboard. "Just answer the questions." She held up a picture of three near-identical faces. "Which one is different?"

"Left."

"Square root of the absolute value of negative e?"

"1.67683769."

"Inhabitants of Macuqua Three?"

"Tutulians."

"Velocity of a 261 grams dropped from a cliff with an updraft of 11.7 kilometers per hour."

"176.3 kilometers per hour."

"Reigning queen of Gallifray."

"Queen Magdalene Belaqua." I sighed. " Mind if I speed this up? 167.86 grams, acid, iron alloy, Rospinar 7, weevils and, " I paused and quickly calculated. "36,164,179,076." Melanie stood motionless. She flipped through her clipboard, her eyes wide.

"How- JACK!" Melanie called Jack over before returning to gaze at me. I stared at her blankly, glad that Torchwood kept a copy of their personal IQ test on file in their computers.

"I do believe those answers are correct." I smiled as Jack stood next to Melanie. "Jack, she's concerned because I could answer all her questions before she could ask them." Jack took Melanie's clipboard, ignoring me.

"The questions are only accessible to us, so it's impossible for her to cheat." Jack looked over at me. "Charlotte, what's your story?" I made a face.

"Charlie." I corrected him. Jack rolled his eyes. "Jack, don't be like that. Is this about your secret love for me?" I said with a straight face. Jack's jaw clenched. "Are you going to yell at me?" Jack took a deep breath.

"Charlotte, how did you answer the questions?" He said calmly, trying to contain himself. I shrugged, trying to seem as innocent as possible.

"That's for me to know." I winked. "Now, am I done?" Jack sighed and nodded.

"Mel, take her back to her cell."


	3. Chapter 3

"634, divided by 6, times e equals..." I laid on my back on the floor, doing math in my head, mumbling. This was why I was such a freak to people. I mumbled math equations to myself, solving them in my head when I was bored.

"Good evening." Ianto, the man who checked my vitals earlier that day appeared with a tray of food. I sat up and smiled.

"Dinnertime already, Ianto?" I smiled at him as he opened my cell and put the tray on the bench. I stood up as he closed the door, reappearing moments later on the other side of the glass.

"Enjoy." He gave a glance over his shoulder before disappearing into the shadows.

"Leave me to eat alone? Fine..." I poked at the piece of pizza they'd given me. "Guess I'll eat alone."

"You complain too much." Ianto reappeared with a slice of pizza for himself and stood outside my cell. "Seems I got stuck being your dinner date." He pulled up a chair and grumbled.

"I'm not as horrible as I appear." I pulled off bits of pizza, nibbling on them. I heard Ianto laugh quietly to himself.

"You don't appear horrible, you appear as if you'd be just another human. It's your actions that make me believe you're a horrible person." Ianto furrowed his eyebrows, watching me. "Why'd you do it?" I bit my cheek, looking at the floor.

"You asking because you honestly want to know or because Jack put you up to it?" I sat on the bench and sighed.

"Little bit of both." He shrugged. "If it makes you feel any better, the rest of them are out trying to catch a weevil." He never looked me in the eyes, even when I looked into his.

"A mixture of mecriod and litrum will paralyze a weevil for at least an hour." I looked at the floor, picking at crumb on my pants.

"Thank you." He smiled, glancing at me for a moment. " I can see why Jack wanted to keep you around." I cracked a smile.

"I knew there was a reason why he kept me, instead of retconing me." I shrugged. Ianto's eyebrows furrowed again. "Yes, I know about retcon." Ianto nodded.

"What don't you know?" He laughed. I smiled, looking at the floor.

"Not much."

"It was really nice having someone to talk to." I stood up and smiled at Ianto. He nodded and smiled in return.

"Nice to have someone to talk to as well. At least having one who doesn't wanna screw me at the end of the night." I stared at him, reviewing his information for any clues to what the hell he meant. Nothing...He stood up and looked at the floor. "Sleep tight. More tests tomorrow." I rolled my eyes.

"Yay..." I groaned. Ianto laughed. "I've got a long month ahead of me." Ianto rested his hand on the glass, looking me in the eye for the first time that night.

"It's not as horrible as it appears."

"Good morning, Ianto. Vitals are normal, but I'm starving. Got any breakfast?" I said without opening my eyes. I knew it was Ianto because I recognized the sound of his dress shoes against the stone ground. He laughed quietly.

"Coffee and toast." He opened my cell and handed the tray to me as I sat up slowly. "Cherish it, you don't get breakfast tomorrow. Blood test." I groaned, licking jam off my finger.

"I hate needles." I finished my toast and sighed.

"Well, you scared off Mel. Jack says Owen's doing your tests from now on." Ianto leaned against the glass wall.

"So, I have to put up with Owen today, huh?" I sipped my coffee slowly, balancing scientific formulas in my head to wake me up.

"He's better then he used to be." Ianto smiled. " I'll let you finish your coffee, good luck on your physical." Ianto glanced at me before disappearing up the stairs. It was only me and a very angry weevil.


	4. Chapter 4

"Alright, come along." Owen swung the door open and slapped handcuffs on me. I purposely dragged my feet, watching as Owen focused on keeping his temper down. He gripped my arm tighter and pushed me up the stairs.

"No need to be violent." I grumbled as he pushed me through the main room and onto the exam table. Owen took a few deep breaths, his jaw clenched.

"I'm going to take off your handcuffs. Jack gave me full permission to shoot if you try to run." Owen snapped as he unlocked me. I laughed quietly.

"Jack would never kill me. I have the highest IQ of all of you." I rubbed my wrist, but sat perfectly still on the exam table.

"Good girl." Owen dug through some drawers, pulling out odds and ends for the exam.

"I'm not a dog." I mumbled. Owen rolled his eyes and pulled my arm straight. He stood silently, two fingers on my wrist to check my pulse. He pulled away, letting my arm fall hard against the table. I sat still, staring straight ahead. He shined a light in both my eyes, looked down my throat, checked my blood pressure and my temperature, height, weight and finally he finished.

"So, what's the verdict, Doctor?" I asked, bored. Owen finished up with his notes and gave forced smile.

"You're not dying." He turned away. "Much to my displeasure." I scoffed, causing him to turn around again.

"You know you wouldn't like it it I died?" I gave a charming smile. Owen raised an eyebrow and tucked his pen into his clipboard.

"I'd kill you myself if Jack would let me." He snapped my cuffs back into place and handed me off to Willow, a brunette. She was a bit more of a mystery to me. Her file wasn't nearly as full as the rest of them. Her birthday wasn't even listed. Just a name and a former occupation.

"You are quite the interesting creature." She laughed as we trudged back downstairs into my cell.

"You don't think I'm human?" I raised an eyebrow. "I would have thought my physical would have erased that idea." Willow shook her head, but looked me over.

"I think you're human, I just don't think you're normal." She locked the cell and reappeared on the other side of the glass. "You have an unearthly brain capacity. You got your PhD when you were 16." I looked at her impressed.

"You seem to have done your research." I laughed, raising an eyebrow.

"It's my job."

Ianto came in with an early dinner, gave me my tray and resumed his spot on the other side of the glass.

"So, this is what Torchwood does? Puts me through stupid tests to find out things they already know?" I ate my turkey sandwich, watching Ianto. He shrugged.

"Not really. We more make sure no aliens cause any harm or danger to the planet or it's people and that the planet or it's people don't cause any harm to aliens. We insure that world does not know of their existence." He seemed indifferent about the whole thing. I nodded slowly, despite the fact I already knew that.

"And Jack's in charge?" I sat on the edge of my bench, pulling apart the rest of my sandwich. "He seems to walk around as it he owns the place."

"Yeah, pretty much." Ianto paused. "No one really knows anything about him, either. Not even me." He looked at the floor and sighed, disappointed.

"Why would you specifically know?" I asked slowly. We were getting into a territory they didn't cover in their files. I put the two pieces together. The way I noticed Jack looking at him earlier that day, the way Ianto talked about him, it all seemed to fit together.

"I'm just, uh, a close friend." Ianto looked away. I mentally took notes. "Jack is a mystery to all of us. The only person that really quite knows what goes on in his head is Willow." He said her name with a hint of disdain. I could see the beginnings of a web forming in my mind, connected each person to another. A web that I could use against them.

"Willow? Why Willow?" I wanted to dig up as much dirt about her as I could. Ianto took a deep breath and was silent for a moment.

"She showed up one day, said she was an old friend of Jack's. He gave her the second in command job. Whenever we asked about her, he just said he knew her from as while back. She has the same look in her eyes as Jack. Their eyes look older then they are. She can look at Jack and seem to know exactly what he's thinking. Apparently it made them close friends. Really close friends. I've heard them, when I stay late, in Jack's office." He looked disgusted. "It was something I never wanted to hear." Ianto shrugged. "Owen was furious when she got the second in command job. Said he was playing favorites and that he deserved the job." I nodded, my web growing.

"What is Owen's story? He seemed really cranky today." I finished my sandwich and leaned against the wall, casually.

"Ever since he joined, he's had an attitude. He came to work, did his job, and then the moment he was done, he would bolt out of here. He came to work hungover more then a few times. There was a weird thing with a girl a while back, Diane, sent him over the edge. He became suicidal. Then Mel showed up and he's even better then before. He's almost tolerable." Ianto smiled slightly, pulling off his suit coat and leaning back.

"What's Mel got to do with it?" I furrowed my brow, adding notes to the information I had of Owen, as well as Jack and Willow. It was astonishing how much information Ianto poured out.

"Few days back, she got a job here as Owen's assistant. Owen talked Jack into it, it seemed. She was one of his one night stands, but she sparked his interest. She figured out that weevils were attacking." Ianto seemed impressed with all that Melanie had done so far. "Though, she may have changed Owen for the better, but Gwen for the worst." He rolled his eyes.

"Gwen?" I raised an eyebrow, imagining the black-haired women with the gap in her teeth. Her file wasn't all that impressive, I just sort of skimmed over it.

"Even thought she's married with a kid, she still has a thing for Owen. They slept together on and off for at least a year, a while back. Owen doesn't even give her a second glance, so Gwen is left to watch him from a distance. When Mel showed up, Gwen stopped watching from a distance and began fighting with Mel. It's really scary up there sometimes." Ianto shuddered slightly.

"Bloody hell, it's like a soap opera up there." I laughed slightly, my web growing further. Ianto cracked a smile.

"With Jack around, things are always interesting. Between running off for no apparent reason, going on and on about this "doctor" and trying to seduce anything that breathes, Jack certainly has a way of being in the center of drama." Ianto laughed. "This place is a mess enough as it is, with all the aliens around, but we seem to make it worse." He gave another smile and stood up.

"Bedtime already?" I sighed. He nodded and flicked off the light in my cell.

"'Night."

"'Night." I said with an invisible smirk. Tomorrow was going to be fun.


	5. Chapter 5

I yawned as the light above me flickered on. I groaned and hid my face in my pillow. The door creaked open and I felt Owen's unnaturally cold hands roll me over.

"Good morning, sunshine." I smiled up at Owen. Owen ignored me and pulled me to a standing position before putting me back in cuffs. "I've grown quite used to these cuffs. They are almost starting to be comfortable." Owen tightened them. "Ow... I thought you had Mel for those kind of things." Owen stiffened.

"What about Mel?" He snapped as he dragged me out of my cell. I laughed and felt the familiar tingling feeling in my stomach when I was about to launch a plan.

"You know what I'm talking about. Or is Mel not into that kind of thing?" I walked behind Owen, nicely today, not putting up a fight.

"Again, what the hell are you talking about?" Owen put me up on the exam table, this time not unlocking my cuffs.

"You and Mel are sleeping together." I stated obviously. Owen looked up into my face, but avoided my eyes. "Don't deny it, we both know it's true. Or are you hiding it because you still have feeling for Diane?" I smiled. Owen's face fell from it's usual annoyed look and he stared at me.

"You don't even know the half of it, now sit still or I could kill you with this." He held up a needle. I made a face, but sat still as he prepared my arm. He drew a blood sample and put a bandage on my arm. "Now, be a good girl for Mel. In fact, don't even talk to her." Owen handed me off to Mel, who didn't even look at me. She took my arm tightly in her hand and pulled me downstairs.

"Aren't we pushy today?" I did a quick scan of Melanie's file, looking for something to send her over the edge. "Are you afraid of me? Afraid of what I know?" I looked at Melanie as she put me back in my cell and uncuffed me. "How has it been since Blake and Valerie died?" Mel froze, her eyes widening. I kept a straight face as she looked up at me for the first time in two days. Her face was pale and her eyes looked glossy, as if she were about to cry.

"You freak, you get into our heads and bring us down from the inside." She said as she tried to keep her voice from shaking. I just stared at her, watching her internal battle for composure. "You deserve to be killed." She slammed the door behind her and I heard the lock click into place. I smiled to myself. They were beginning to be scared of me, the way I wanted them to be.

Ianto didn't come down for dinner that night. Toshiko gave me my plate and left, not even looking at me. I set my tray on my lap and looked over my food. A pile of corn, a mound of odd mashed potatoes and a small slice of meat. I pushed the corn around with the plastic fork they gave me, wondering where Ianto was. The thing was, I was where I wanted to be. I was alone. The weevil hadn't made any noise all day, so it was fairly quiet. Only the buzzing sound of the lights above me, the soft breathing of me and the weevil and the sound of my fork pushing around my corn. I tried to find the comfort I once felt in the solidarity, but in my small cell, it wasn't as satisfying. I ate my corn and had a bite of mash potatoes before setting my tray down and laying on the bench.

I ran through math equations again. Numbers made more sense to me then people did. I liked numbers, they were definite. They didn't change, they stayed the same. One would always equal one. They were always there, they never left, they were always right there in my brain, ready to be recounted. They didn't judge, they didn't even talk, they just existed. It's the same thing with science. Science was just math with actual life thrown in. I let my eyes drift closed, my mind still calculating until I drifted off to sleep.

I heard a soft knock on the glass the next morning. I didn't groan like I usually would, I just laid there, waiting for the door to swing open for my next test. There was just another knock on the glass. I sat up and looked out to see Jack holding a textbook.

"Good morning." He said flatly. I gave him a slight smile, it was too early to mess with anymore. I wasn't what you would call a morning person.

"Can I have breakfast before I have to hold a conversation? I don't think as well when I'm this tired." I rubbed my eyes, my back sore from the hard bed.

"You don't think as well? You have the highest IQ I've ever seen and you're complaining that you don't think as well in the morning." Jack laughed. I just stared at him, blankly.

"Breakfast." I grumbled, laying back down. Jack knocked again. "I won't talk to you until you get me breakfast." I buried my face in my pillow. The knock came again.

"Charlotte, your breakfast is on it's way. I just wanted to talk to you. You don't have to say anything back, just listen." I rolled my eyes and sat up, propped on my elbows.

"Speak." I sighed, watching him. Jack looked down at the textbook and then at me. I raised an eyebrow. "Feel free to start talking whenever."

"I've run out of tests. You are perfectly normal, besides your IQ. I'm not really sure what to do with you now, so I brought you some entertainment." He held up the book. "Advanced Metaphysics Calculus. Deals with the mathematics of black-holes and all that fun stuff." He smiled. "Sounds fun, right?" I rolled my eyes.

"Jack, that's child's play for me." I fully sat up and shrugged. "Whatever, just leave it. I could use something to do." Jack nodded and went around to hand me the book, a notebook and a pencil.

"Have fun." He tried to sound sincere.

"Oh, I definitely will." I said sarcastically.


	6. Chapter 6

I yawned as the light above me flickered on. I groaned and hid my face in my pillow. The door creaked open and I felt Owen's unnaturally cold hands roll me over.

"Good morning, sunshine." I smiled up at Owen. Owen ignored me and pulled me to a standing position before putting me back in cuffs. "I've grown quite used to these cuffs. They are almost starting to be comfortable." Owen tightened them. "Ow... I thought you had Mel for those kind of things." Owen stiffened.

"What about Mel?" He snapped as he dragged me out of my cell. I laughed and felt the familiar tingling feeling in my stomach when I was about to launch a plan.

"You know what I'm talking about. Or is Mel not into that kind of thing?" I walked behind Owen, nicely today, not putting up a fight.

"Again, what the hell are you talking about?" Owen put me up on the exam table, this time not unlocking my cuffs.

"You and Mel are sleeping together." I stated obviously. Owen looked up into my face, but avoided my eyes. "Don't deny it, we both know it's true. Or are you hiding it because you still have feeling for Diane?" I smiled. Owen's face fell from it's usual annoyed look and he stared at me.

"You don't even know the half of it, now sit still or I could kill you with this." He held up a needle. I made a face, but sat still as he prepared my arm. He drew a blood sample and put a bandage on my arm. "Now, be a good girl for Mel. In fact, don't even talk to her." Owen handed me off to Mel, who didn't even look at me. She took my arm tightly in her hand and pulled me downstairs.

"Aren't we pushy today?" I did a quick scan of Melanie's file, looking for something to send her over the edge. "Are you afraid of me? Afraid of what I know?" I looked at Melanie as she put me back in my cell and uncuffed me. "How has it been since Blake and Valerie died?" Mel froze, her eyes widening. I kept a straight face as she looked up at me for the first time in two days. Her face was pale and her eyes looked glossy, as if she were about to cry.

"You freak, you get into our heads and bring us down from the inside." She said as she tried to keep her voice from shaking. I just stared at her, watching her internal battle for composure. "You deserve to be killed." She slammed the door behind her and I heard the lock click into place. I smiled to myself. They were beginning to be scared of me, the way I wanted them to be.

Ianto didn't come down for dinner that night. Toshiko gave me my plate and left, not even looking at me. I set my tray on my lap and looked over my food. A pile of corn, a mound of odd mashed potatoes and a small slice of meat. I pushed the corn around with the plastic fork they gave me, wondering where Ianto was. The thing was, I was where I wanted to be. I was alone. The weevil hadn't made any noise all day, so it was fairly quiet. Only the buzzing sound of the lights above me, the soft breathing of me and the weevil and the sound of my fork pushing around my corn. I tried to find the comfort I once felt in the solidarity, but in my small cell, it wasn't as satisfying. I ate my corn and had a bite of mash potatoes before setting my tray down and laying on the bench.

I ran through math equations again. Numbers made more sense to me then people did. I liked numbers, they were definite. They didn't change, they stayed the same. One would always equal one. They were always there, they never left, they were always right there in my brain, ready to be recounted. They didn't judge, they didn't even talk, they just existed. It's the same thing with science. Science was just math with actual life thrown in. I let my eyes drift closed, my mind still calculating until I drifted off to sleep.

I heard a soft knock on the glass the next morning. I didn't groan like I usually would, I just laid there, waiting for the door to swing open for my next test. There was just another knock on the glass. I sat up and looked out to see Jack holding a textbook.

"Good morning." He said flatly. I gave him a slight smile, it was too early to mess with anymore. I wasn't what you would call a morning person.

"Can I have breakfast before I have to hold a conversation? I don't think as well when I'm this tired." I rubbed my eyes, my back sore from the hard bed.

"You don't think as well? You have the highest IQ I've ever seen and you're complaining that you don't think as well in the morning." Jack laughed. I just stared at him, blankly.

"Breakfast." I grumbled, laying back down. Jack knocked again. "I won't talk to you until you get me breakfast." I buried my face in my pillow. The knock came again.

"Charlotte, your breakfast is on it's way. I just wanted to talk to you. You don't have to say anything back, just listen." I rolled my eyes and sat up, propped on my elbows.

"Speak." I sighed, watching him. Jack looked down at the textbook and then at me. I raised an eyebrow. "Feel free to start talking whenever."

"I've run out of tests. You are perfectly normal, besides your IQ. I'm not really sure what to do with you now, so I brought you some entertainment." He held up the book. "Advanced Metaphysics Calculus. Deals with the mathematics of black-holes and all that fun stuff." He smiled. "Sounds fun, right?" I rolled my eyes.

"Jack, that's child's play for me." I fully sat up and shrugged. "Whatever, just leave it. I could use something to do." Jack nodded and went around to hand me the book, a notebook and a pencil.

"Have fun." He tried to sound sincere.

"Oh, I definitely will." I said sarcastically.


	7. Chapter 7

"How's the math going?" Jack reappeared about an hour later, his fake smile upon his face again. I was laying on the bench, my head hanging over the edge. I thought better when I got some blood into my brain.

"All done." I smiled up at him. Jack nodded, crossing his arms across his chest. I sat up and looked out at him.

"Well, you can keep the book. It'll keep you occupied for a while. There are a lot of problems in there." I nodded.

"And I finished all of them." I smiled again. Jack's smile dropped and he looked utterly confused. "Jack, I told you this was child's play for me. I learned this stuff when I was 12." I laughed slightly. Jack sighed and touched his earpiece.

"Ianto, we are going to need a more difficult math book." He sighed and looked back at me. "Charlotte, I don't know what to do with you." He leaned against the wall outside my cell.

"Jack, do what you like with me. I would just prefer if it involved your clothes still on. I mean, I get that Ianto and Willow enjoy that, but I don't, so keep it in your pants." I smiled up at Jack, who narrowed his eyes at me.

"You are getting involved in other people's private business, where you do not belong. I took you in because I knew you could be something great, but now I just see that you're just another freak who hides behind her brain. Maybe if you actually had a heart in that empty shell of a body, you would have friends and a great job. You don't thought, so you're all alone, locked up in a cell because no one else wants you." Jack gave me a hate-filled glance and disappeared up the stairs.

It was almost silent that day. Ianto showed up with another textbook, brought me breakfast, lunch and dinner, but disappeared right after each time. I would watch him leave, a part of me wishing he'd stay. I liked talking to him. It was odd for me, because I wasn't exactly someone who liked people, but there was something different about Ianto. Every time he showed up, I would just smile at him as he handed me my tray. He would smile back, but we never said anything to each other. After dinner, when he came to take my tray away, I spoke up.

"I miss talking to you." I said in a quiet voice. Ianto looked up at me, then at the floor. "It's really lonely down here. Now that my tests are done, seems like Jack just put me in here to rot." It surprised me how vulnerable I sounded. I was actually a little scared. A week ago, I would have loved being alone, but something was different now. I was scared that I would be stuck here forever, never even getting a second glance. Ianto nodded slowly, holding the tray in one hand.

"Charlotte, I don't know what to think of you." He looked up from the floor and sighed. "Everyone upstairs is terrified of you, because you know more then you should. I'm not scared of you. I've talked to you, held a normal conversation with you. No sarcastic remarks, no creepy secrets about me that you shouldn't know. Just a casual conversation." Ianto looked away. "Yet, a few nights ago, you used me to get information about the other people." I opened my mouth to try to explain, only to find that it was near useless. "I don't know what to think of you." He gave me one last glance before closing the door and disappearing.

After that night, Ianto and I never spoke or even looked at each other. I would sit on my bench, staring at the wall. I went through four math book and a quantum physics book, never speaking a word to anyone. My food would appear and when I was done, my tray would disappear. There were days where I felt like I forgot to blink, I was just motionless. And emotionless.

As the days went by, I could feel something inside of me slowly breaking. I felt nauseous and dizzy. In the middle of the night, I would wake up from a dreamless sleep to find tears streaming down my cheeks. I was running on no sleep, my body seemed to reject any food I put in my stomach and I couldn't think. It was day in and day out, silent and dark. I was deteriorating and no one noticed.

Ianto didn't say anything when he took my full tray of food away, nor did he even stop to glance at me. I would watch him, my empty stomach churning. He would close the door behind him and disappear, leaving me only to stare at the wall once again.


	8. Chapter 8

I started talking to myself after about a week. Holding actual conversations with myself. I didn't even notice when Ianto showed up, I was mumbled to myself about the space-time continuum. I didn't hear the door close though. I heard the soft click of the plastic tray touching the stone floor, but not the usual shut door after it. I continued my conversation, staring at the floor. I screamed bloody murder when something touched my arm.

"Shh...Charlotte, shh...it's okay." A warm hand run along my cold arm. I didn't look away from the floor, wondering if this was a hallucination from lack of sleep. "Charlotte, how about you come with me?" The voice was comforting, a low whisper. I pulled my thin blanket around me and forced myself to stand up. My legs were weak from not using them for the last weak and from lack of nutrition. The warm hand help tightly on to me around the waist and helped me up the stairs. I got to the stop of the stairs, my eyes burning from the bright light of the main room. All eyes went to me as I entered. I shifted my eyes from face to face before my legs gave out from under me. The warm hands picked me up, but I shyed away from them. They held onto my tightly and brought me over to the exam table. I tried to get off the moment I was set down, squirming and fighting against the hands that help me down.

"Melanie, give her a mild sedative, just to calm her down." A voice said. I tried to keep up my fight, by after a prick in my side, I had to fight to keep my eyes open. "Charlotte, just get some rest," was the last thing I heard before pure darkness surrounded me.

"She's malnourished, as well as dehydrated." The voice sounded fuzzy to me. I tried to open my eyes, but I was still too tired. It felt as if every ounce of energy I had was drained out of me.

"She's waking up," another voice said. "Charlotte, can you hear me?" I groaned quietly in response. "Alright, when you're ready, open your eyes. We have a few questions we want to ask you." I nodded once and mustered up the energy to open my eyes. Four people were crowded around me. Melanie was standing next to me with a clipboard, smiling at me kindly. Owen was checking my vitals, and Ianto was standing a few feet away with a plate of food. Jack was standing next to my head, his arms crossed.

"I'm glad to see you wake." He smiled genuinely at me. I gave a weak smile in return, but was too weak to sit up. There was a soft pillow under my head and a blanket around me. "We want to ask you a few questions. This isn't a test, we just want an honest answer." He uncrossed his arms and looked at Mel. "Give her a few minutes, let her eat and then feel free to ask away." He glanced at me once more before heading back into his office.

Owen moved over to help me sit up and Ianto balanced a tray in one hand, offering me a cup of water with a straw in it. I sipped the cool water, my tongue no longer feeling like sandpaper. When I had finished, he handed me a granola bar, already unwrapped.

It was odd for me, being pampered like this. I had been on my own since I was 16, it had been ten years since anyone took care of me. I devoured the food, stopping the stabbing pain in my stomach for a while.

"How are you feeling?" Mel looked me in the eyes. They were softer now. They were comforting.

"Fuzzy. I feel fuzzy. As if everything is a blur." I said in a weak voice. She nodded and sat on the counter across from the table.

"That will be a result of the sedative. It will wear off soon." She set her clipboard down. "Now, these questions I'm going to ask you, they aren't a test. They are just so we can get to know you better, figure out how that brilliant mind of yours works." I nodded. "Alright, tell me about where you were born, you're early childhood." I dug into my memory, looking for evidence of something I had buried a long time ago.

"I was born to William and Madeline Harris in Newport, Wales, Great Britain. I was an only child. My father was the CEO of Bank of Wales and my mother was a professor at University of Wales. I was raised by several nannies, who taught me how to speak French, Welsh, Russian and Spanish. At age two, I began home school. I finished primary school by the age of five, junior high by the age of six and high school by the age of eight. I got my college degree by the age of eleven, masters by the age of 13 and my PhD when I was sixteen." I could feel the curtain of fuzz wearing off and was beginning to think clearer.

"Your parents must have been very impressed." She smiled slightly, comforting me to continue. I looked at the floor, remembering my parents. They weren't home to even notice. "Charlotte?" I snapped my head up. "I won't make you talk, but this is helping us understand you better." I nodded.

"My parents didn't notice. They rarely spoke to me, and if they did, it was about how stressful work was and how they didn't have time to talk. They told me to go tell my nanny. When I was six, I remember my mother getting upset when she heard me call my nanny "Mum". I thought she was my mother. She was the one who took care of me. When I turned ten, I was half way finished with college. I wanted to impress my parents, so I showed them a paper I had written on physics. They didn't even glance at it. I spent the next six years of my life, doing nothing but try to show my parents how smart I was." I could feel myself closing off the memories that still stung me.

"What about friends? Did you have any friends?" Melanie said after she quickly wrote a note on her clipboard and set it back down. I shrugged.

"I didn't have any friends. Other kids thought I was a freak, I was rejected." I tried to seem indifferent about it, but it was something that had always bothered me. "Not many kids could do calculus when they were eight." Mel nodded, biting the corner of her lip.

"In your file, it says you ran away when you were 16." She just stated it as if it were more a fact then a question. I nodded, none the less.

"I could take care of myself and my home was a toxic place for me. I would never become anyone by sitting at home. I went out to find a job. I found people don't hire a16 year old, even if they do have PhDs." I tried to make it sound like a joke, but it wasn't funny to me. "I did side jobs for big companies, hoping I'd raise up in the ranks and get a better job. I didn't. I was a coffee girl for six years. When I turned 24, a organization contacted me. They said they wanted me to work for them because they had heard how smart I was. I took the job and it was there that I stared learning more about aliens. I did research for them. It was also how I heard of Torchwood. They didn't say anything about you, but they mentioned you. I looked everywhere for you guys, but you didn't seem to exist. Soon after that, they fired me for no reason. I had to make a name for myself, so I took matters into my own hands. I had the knowledge to hack into any computer, so I gathered information and about two months ago, I put this whole plan together. I figured if I couldn't do something good for the world, I could at least get some attention." It was almost strange how much flew out of my mouth. I hadn't told anyone this before. Mel nodded, took a few notes and stood up again.

"That's all I really needed." She smiled and handed me off to Ianto. He smiled at me kindly and led me over to a couch on the edge of the room.

"Now is usually the time when they take me back downstairs." I smiled. Ianto nodded and looked into Jack's office.

"Usually, but this isn't a usual situation. I have talked Jack into letting me take you to get some actual food. You have been locked up for two weeks and haven't had a decent meal in a while." He looked back at me. "What do you say to that idea?"

"Ianto Jones, are you asking me on a date?"


	9. Chapter 9

"This is not a date. This is simply dinner." Ianto said for the fourth time that night. I nodded and smiled. I could tell he was keeping a close watch on me, but it was nice to be back out in the world.

"Ianto, I know." I laughed as we walked into a small Chinese restaurant. He nodded and looked at the ground, the same reaction as the last three times he had said it. I chose a table by the front window, so I could watch the world go by. I liked doing that, watching people. Humans were always interesting to me. I liked watching them, because when I was a child, I rarely left my house. I had school and nannies to keep me busy. When I ran away, I was amazed by the other people. They were normal.

We ordered out food and Ianto and I sat awkwardly. I tried to think of conversation starters, but I was never one to hold conversations with people.

"So, how'd you, uh, end up at Torchwood?" I asked, playing with my chopsticks. Ianto drummed his fingers on the table, bored.

"I used to work at the one in London, but I heard about Jack and came here to try to get a job. After an odd series of events, I got the job." He shrugged. "What's your PhD in?"

"Quantum physics." I sighed as the waitress brought our drinks. I pushed my ice around and took a drink. "So, um..." I tried to think of a question to ask, but I was running a blank. They didn't teach social skills in school.

"You are the most intelligent girl I've ever met and you are socially inept." Ianto laughed. "I guess it's a balance, you go too far one way and you lose the other." He smiled. "So, why quantum physics?" I shrugged.

"It has a combination of math and science." I sipped at my water slowly. Ianto nodded. "I've always liked math and science." Ianto nodded again.

"Why?" I was glad he was there to keep the conversation moving along.

"They're definite. They in math, one always equals one, two always equals two. It's the same with science. There isn't a lot of leeway, it's just "this is the answer"." I gnawed at my lip. "I'm a horrible date, sorry." I laughed. Ianto shook his head.

"You are getting used to a new life. I won't blame you for it." He smiled. "You know, I could see you fitting in quite well at Torchwood." I almost burst out laughing.

"If Jack would ever let me. After what I did, it doesn't seem like it would even be plausible." I smiled. Ianto shrugged.

"You never know. We all have pasts. I'm sure you already know that though." He smiled and looked down at the table. I nodded and looked out the window.

"Tell me about your past." I asked, not looking him in the face. It seemed like an odd question for me. Asking people for their life history over fried Chinese food.

"I was born in South Wales. My dad used to work for Debenham's." Ianto smiled. "He would take me to the cinema every Friday." His face then fell slightly. "Things started to go downhill when I got a bit older. He died a bit before I graduated. I just wanted to go to school, leave all that behind me. I made good grades, but I wasn't outstanding. Not all of us can be geniuses." He smiled slightly. "That's about it. Not a whole lot to tell." I nodded. "You're getting better already. By the end of the month, you will be quite the socialite." I rolled my eyes.

"Like that's even possible. I would start talking about how to solve for the volume of a black hole and people would run for the hills." I laughed. Ianto cracked a smile and looked me in the eyes.

"I'd want to be a part of that conversation. It sounds incredibly interesting." He laughed as out food arrived. I smiled too, starting to feel a bit like the people I used to watch. Normal.


	10. Chapter 10

When we got back to the hub, they didn't lock me up. They let me wander around. Everyone kept an eye on me, make sure I don't get out or hack into their computers, but they let me walk around. I looked at the equipment, soaking it all in. I had read about this place, but now I was actually inside of it and it was more amazing then I could comprehend. I finally settled on a sofa outside of Jack's closed office door. Ianto went in there, so I could only imagine what was going on. I didn't really want to know in the first place, but there really wasn't anywhere else to sit.

"Jack, hear me out!" I heard Ianto's muffled voice yell. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but it sounded interesting and I couldn't keep away.

"She's dangerous! How do we know she won't just use our information and then disappear?" I heard hear footsteps. They weren't the clicking sound of Ianto's dress shoes. Jack was pacing.

"Have you looked at her psych evaluation? She's suffering from severe neglect. She just wants to do something she thinks her parents will be proud of!" I sat still, leaning back to hear better.

"I'm not here to hand out gold stars. I'm here to do my job and make sure that people like _her_ don't get away with what she did." Jack hissed. I sighed quietly, gnawing on my lip.

"She knows more about this stuff then all of us combined. Do you honestly believe she wouldn't be useful? She knows how to paralyze a weevil, she can hack into any computer on the planet and she would put 200% into this job. Jack, please, just consider it. I trust her. I know she won't do anything like that again." Ianto sounded as if he were begging. I smiled slightly. He wanted me here, not as their prisoner, but as their co-worker.

"Ianto..." Jack sighed.

"You know she belongs here. I'll be making coffee, so come find me when you get your head out of your ass long enough to admit it " Ianto ripped open the door and I froze, acting interested in a magazine that was laying on the table. Ianto glanced at me.

"Um, I have an extra room at my flat. I know the beds in the cells are horrendous, so how about you stay with me for the night?" I looked at him and cracked a smile. "I mean, at my place. In a different room, obviously." I laughed and nodded.

"Is that okay with Jack?" I stood up and glanced into Jack's office. He was sitting at his desk, doing paperwork. Ianto shrugged.

"Nope. It's his problem. You don't deserve living in a cell." Ianto walked towards the door. "You coming?" I glanced at Jack once more.

"Of course." I peered into Jack's office. "Jack, I'm going home with Ianto." Jack nodded and waved a hand, not even looking up. I smiled and hurried to catch up with Ianto.

"So, um, this is where you'll sleep." Ianto flicked on a light to a small bedroom off the hallway. I nodded and sat on the bed. "Uh, I'll get you something to wear for the night." He hurried off to a room down the hall. I looked around the room. It was obviously a guest room. The walls were fairly empty, a framed picture of a skyline above the bed. The bed was made neatly and everything was strangely neat.

Ianto reappeared in the doorway, holding a pile of light blue pajamas.

"I think these should fit." He handed them to me. I looked at them. They were women pajamas. I set them on the nightstand and looked up at him.

"May I ask, why do you have women pajamas?" I said with a slight smile. Ianto looked down at the floor. "It's a stupid question..."

"No, it's not. They were my girlfriend's." He said slowly. I looked at them again, then back at Ianto. "She, uh, she died about a year and a half ago." I froze and the slight smile on my face dropped.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." I bit the inside of my cheek. "Are you, uh, sure you're okay with me, uh, wearing them?" Ianto looked up and nodded slowly.

"It's fine." He gave a weak smile before leaving and walking back into the main room.

"Ianto?" I walked into the kitchen, where he was making a sandwich. He looked up, his usual indifferent look on his face. "Do you mind if I take a shower? I haven't showered in two weeks. I'm surprised someone hasn't noticed." Ianto's mouth twitched into a smile.

"Yeah, that's fine. The bathroom is right across from your room." He turned back to his sandwich and I nodded once, heading back down the hall.

After, I got dressed and went into my room. I peered out into the hallway. Ianto was sitting in the living room, on his laptop.

"Uh, I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." I gave a quick smile before ducking back into my room and turning off the light. I crawled into the bed, and let out a sigh of relief. I pulled the blanket tight around me and closed my eyes, feeling relaxed for the first time in years.


	11. Chapter 11

"Charlie?" I jumped at the sound of my own name. I had forgotten where I was until I opened my eyes to see Ianto standing at the foot of the bed. "Uh, we have to get back to the hub." I yawned and nodded. Ianto looked at me for a moment, before handing me a cup of coffee and going back into the hallway.

When we got to the hub, I was wired on coffee. Ianto gave me a strange look when I started mumbled math equations in my head as we drove through Cardiff in his shiny blue sports car. Numbers calmed me down, if I didn't calculate, I'd be bouncing off the walls. Jack stood at the front door, leaning against the desk in the tourist office that masked Torchwood below.

"You took her home with you?" Jack asked, indifferent. Ianto nodded slowly. "Well, look at you, being the good Samaritan." He hissed as we walked down into the hub.

"Jack, I told you I was going." I said innocently. Jack turned around to look at me, his eyes narrowing.

"You do not have the right to talk. Ianto, my office, now." Jack walked into his office, Ianto following behind him. I didn't want to eavesdrop again, so I settled into Mel's desk chair, watching Jack's office from across the room.

It was fairly quiet for a while, but I could hear bits of people yelling. It was too muffled for me to understand, but it was clearly getting pretty heated in there. Ianto burst through the door, a smile on his lips.

"Charlotte, I'd like to speak to you." Jack stood in the door, watching me carefully. I walked across the hub and into his office. Jack closed the door and sat down at his desk. "I just wanted to have a one-on-one talk with you." I nodded.

"Charlotte, it has come to my attention that you could be a very valuable asset to Torchwood." Jack dug through a pile of papers and pulled out a file. "You have an IQ of 152. You are clearly a great researcher." He looked over the file. "You are not in touch with your family anymore?" He looked up at me. I nodded. "Can you handle a gun?" A smile spread across my face.

"Of course. A girl on the run has to protect herself." Jack nodded and looked back down at my file. I bit the inside of my cheek.

"Charlotte, I'm considering offering you a job here. It would not be anything huge, just helping out around the hub. I don't trust you with much responsibility, but I'm willing to let you try to prove me wrong. I will watch over you and at the end of the month, I will decide whether or not I will give you an actual job here." Jack closed the file and looked up at me. "That's all."

He showed me the door and closed it behind me. I stood outside the door for a moment, letting what just happen sink in. I got a job at the Torchwood institute. I actually got a job here.

"How's it go?" Ianto looked up from the coffeemaker. I could feel my face light up and I started jumping up and down.

"I FUCKING WORK FOR TORCHWOOD!"


	12. Chapter 12

When everyone else started showing up, I was putting the finishing touches on my profile. I transferred my file, filled out my name, birthday and date I began working for them.

"Jack finally broke down and gave you a job, huh?" Mel smiled as she sat down at her desk. I smiled and nodded as I hit save.

"I think Ianto had something to do with it. He went into Jack's office and there was some yelling. I walk in and Jack says I get a test run, see how well I work." I shrugged.

"Ianto? Yelling at Jack?" Mel leaned back in her chair, tapping a pen on her chin. I nodded slowly. "That is very out of the ordinary. What kind of yelling was it?" She spun around her chair, stopping to stare at me again.

"I'm not sure, I didn't hear it. Ianto stormed out of there fairly angerly though." I settled into my desk chair. My desk was just outside Jack's office, so we could watch me through the door.

"Oi, that is odd." Mel looked off into space again. "I've been here only about a month and I know enough to know that Jack and Ianto don't fight." She turned back to her computer and looked through some files. "Charlie, why are there no documented vitals for you last night?" She clicked around a few times.

"I didn't stay here last night." I said non-nonchalantly. Mel whipped her head around, her eyes widened. "Calm down, Ianto invited me to sleep in his extra room and Jack didn't object." Mel snickered under her breath. "What?"

"You don't see it? Well, can't blame you, I guess. You aren't exactly what I would call a social butterfly. You wouldn't know the signs." Mel turned back to her work.

"What are you talking about? What signs?" I looked away from the MI5 file I had hacked into. Mel smiled, not looking away from her work. "Melanie! Please?" Mel laughed.

"Miss Know-It-All doesn't know something?" Mel just smiled, refusing to tell me. I sighed and turned back to my work. "Okay, Charlie, you're living with Ianto!" Mel stared at me, a sly smile on her face. I stared at her, trying to sort it out.

"He was being nice. So?" I glanced at the file I was working on, looking for specific information about an incident that happened last week. Mel laughed.

"Yeah, "nice"." She rolled her eyes and started on some paperwork "There is much you need to learn. Lesson number one: Men are only nice if they want something." Owen walked past at that moment.

"What do we want?" He smiled. Mel bit her lip, smiling. "Well, go ahead. Enlighten me, what do men want?"

"Owen, what is the only think you ever think about?" Mel stared at him with a raised eyebrow. Owen pondered the question for a while.

"Sex. And dead people." Owen smiled. I glanced up at him.

"That sounds like it could lead to something very illegal." I laughed. Owen rolled his eyes when Mel laughed too.

"Let's focus on the first of the two. I doubt Ianto wants dead people." Mel smiled. "Anyways, Owen, shoo. Charlotte, back to Ianto." Owen stared at us for a moment before slowly leaving, giving us strange looks as he left.

"So, back to Ianto. He let you stay at his flat, in a different room, in a different bed, in hope that someday, you'll be in the same room, in the same bed." Mel said, spinning back and forth in her chair. "Got it?"

"I think so." I tapped my pencil on my desk, digging deep into my brain to try to completely comprehend what Mel was saying.

"You think?" Mel clocked her pen, a slight smile on her face. "What do you think I'm saying?"

"I-I don't know." The words felt odd in my mouth. "It just doesn't seem like him though. He wouldn't take advantage of me. He just wanted to be nice..." Mel laughed slightly.

"Want me to get Owen to explain it?" Mel joked. "As a man, he would probably be able to explain it slightly better then I could." I looked at her blankly.

"Why would I want Owen to explain it to me?" I scribbled a few notes and stuck it on my computer.

"Well, then should I explain?" Mel laughed. I shrugged. "Alright, when a man loves a women, well actually, when a man gets lonely, he looks for a pretty lady to make him feel less lonely. You are a pretty lady. Ianto is a lonely man. The lonely man and the pretty lady get together in the lonely man's bedroom and then-" Mel broke off into a fit of laughter. "I can't do this. You'll figure it out when you get there. For now, we'll just say Ianto likes you." Mel turned back to her computer and I glanced over at Ianto, who was putting coffee cups on a tray.


	13. Chapter 13

"Jack, we have a flare in rift activity." Tosh called from across the room. Jack's head poked out of his door. "Just south of here."

"Alright, let's go." Jack pulled on his coat and everyone else packed up. I slowly got up, looking at Jack for a sign of what to do.

"Oh, Charlotte, you stay here." Jack smiled. "Stay out of trouble and keep an eye on the rift activity." I nodded slowly, sitting back down in my chair.

"It's okay. Next time." Mel smiled, reassuringly. I nodded and pulled up the rift activity monitor. I watched the green line, following the jumped and then seeing the huge spike that happened about a minutes ago.

"Charlotte, send the coordinates to the SUV." Jack ruffled my hair as he walked past me. I made a face and nodded. "Thank you." I nodded again and sighed quietly.

"Next time, Newbie." Owen said as he pulled on his leather jacket. I nodded again, holding in the annoyance I felt for each and every one of them.

They wasn't really anything to do. Jack was connected to my earpiece and was asking me basic questions to make me feel like I was actually doing something important when I was really just playing Solitaire.

"Jack, I've told you this twice before." I grumbled when he asked for the coordinates for the third time. "They haven't changed."

"Just resend them." Jack replied out of breath. I rolled my eyes.

"Sent. Again." I poured myself another cup of coffee and settled onto the couch. "If you ask me again though, I will-"

"You will what?" Jack snapped back. "I gave you that job, I can very easily take it away from you." Jack disconnected the earpieces. I took a sip of coffee and closed my eyes. I was perfectly capable of working the field.

"Willow, bring it down to the autopsy table, Owen, Mel, scrub up. Tosh, see if you can gather any more information from the police about the recent attacks." Jack went into his office after they got back, but Ianto was close behind him. He closed the door behind him.

I looked at the door for a while, only snapping out of it when Tosh handed me two think files. I whipped my head around.

"Can you archive these?" She asked with a smile. I nodded and went into the archives to put them away.

When I got back upstairs, I was handed a post-it with a phone number by Willow. I looked at the post-it blankly.

"Find out what Ianto and Jack want and then order us lunch." She said flatly before going back over to her desk to ignore me once again.

I knocked on the door twice, but there was no reply. I could hear them shouting on the other side of the door. I hesitated for a moment.

"-Could do great! If you'd let her. You're treating her like a child. She knows what she's doing!"

"Ianto, quit fighting her battles. If she has a problem with the way I run this institution, then she should take it up with me herself."

"She's smart enough to know that's a useless fight with you. You don't even trust her to do basic research, you have Tosh redo all the research. We both know Tosh has enough on her plate as well."

"This isn't your problem, Ianto! Now go do something useful and make more coffee. It's the only thing you are good for." Ianto slammed the door behind him, rushing to the front desk. I poked my head in.

"Jack, um, do you know what you want for lunch?"


	14. Chapter 14

Ianto was fuming all day. I barely saw any of him all day except when he brought us our lunch, but even then he didn't eat with us. I took my Chinese food with me and went up to the front desk.

"Ianto?" I leaned against the door frame. He looked up from his computer and smiled slightly. "Um, is everything okay?" He nodded, looking back at his computer. "You can't lie to me, Ianto Jones." I tried to be funny, but it didn't come off that way. Ianto sighed.

"It's complicated." He played with the cap on his pen.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I bit the inside of my cheek. Ianto shook his head, but then paused.

"Actually, there is." He smiled, a wicked look in his eyes that I had never seen before. "Just...follow my lead."

Ianto didn't do anything for the rest of the day. Every time he'd walk into the room, he'd smile at me. I couldn't help but smile in return.

After I got back from helping Mel with an autopsy report, there was a post-it on my computer. I sat down at my desk and stared at it for a moment.

'Meet me in the archives.'

I looked around the hub for a moment, looking for Ianto. It was his handwriting, I knew that. He wasn't anywhere in sight. I moved it to the edge of my computer and glanced at a file I was working on, but I couldn't focus, so I went down to the archives.

Ianto was standing at the far end, putting a few files into a filing cabinet. I stood in the doorway, watching him for a moment. He kept looking at his watch, but when he looked in the doorway, he smiled.

"There you are. I was worried you wouldn't come." He closed the file and walked over to me. I nodded.

"I wasn't sure I was going to either, but you said follow your lead, so I'm following." I gave a smile, but looked around the archives instead of at him. "Why are we meeting down here?"

"Follow my lead." He took my hand and led me through the rows of shelves and cabinets. We reached a corner that was still in view of the door, but on the opposite side of the room. Ianto spun around and looked at me, smiling. He looked into my eyes. It was then that I noticed the color of his eyes. They were Grey, like an ocean during a storm. They were the clearest eyes I had ever seen. He had looked me in the eyes before, but this was different.

"But...um...uh..." I tried to remember what it was I was trying to say, but I couldn't remember. "I don't know." I whispered. Ianto laughed quietly and leaned into me, his lips almost on my ear.

"There are a lot of things you don't know." He whispered into my ear. Suddenly, all I heard in my head was white noise. Ianto pulled away and looked into my eyes again. "Do you trust me?" I nodded, my mind blank. Ianto lightly put his hand on my cheek, leaning in until out lips met.

It was all new to me, but somehow I knew what to do. Human instinct. His other arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me close. I felt my hands rest on his chest. I didn't even know how I knew what to do.

We jumped apart at the sound of a cough. Jack was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. His face was stern.

"This is against the rules, Ianto." He said with a glare. I stared wide-eyed at them both. They glared at each other. I tried to move away, but Ianto kept a grip on my waist.

"That never stopped you before. Or the time before that, or the time before that." Ianto said without skipping a beat, a wicked smile on his face. I stood, scared I was going to get caught in the middle of one of their fights.

"Ianto, take your whore and go home. I don't want to see your face today." Jack watched us as we made our way to the door.

"That makes two."


	15. Chapter 15

Ianto was laughing the entire drive back to his flat. It was actually nice to see him smile. He was usually a bit somber, but now I saw a different side to him.

"You're in a good mood." I laughed. Ianto nodded, turning on the radio. He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to the beat. "Why?"

"I pissed off Jack." He laughed. I looked at him confused.

"Doesn't that mean he has to kill you now or something? I don't exactly see that as a good thing." We got out of the car and walked up to his flat.

"No, he'll just try to make me jealous." Ianto dropped his keys on the table. "I won't really care though." I nodded and got myself a glass of water.

"Um, Ianto, just wondering. What was with today in the archives?" I drank my water as Ianto pulled off his suit coat. He shrugged.

"It just happened. I'm not really sure." Ianto put his feet up on the coffee table. "Why? Did you not like it?" I quickly shook my head. Ianto laughed. "So, you wouldn't mind if it happened again?" I bit the inside of my cheek and smiled.

"No, I wouldn't mind." I set my glass down. Ianto got up and our lips met again. "I wouldn't mind at all."

Ianto and I stayed in for dinner that night. Old black and white movies, joking around and eating pizza seemed to be the perfect remedy for an odd day.

"So, I'm sitting in my lab and her sleeve starts on fire! I accidentally left the Bunsen burner on and so I started my professor on fire." Ianto laughed as we laid on the couch, my head hanging over the edge.

"Oh, I bet you passed that class." I laughed. "Ianto, this has been really nice. I've never really had the chance to have a normal night, where I eat pizza and joke around while watching movies. This is really fun." Ianto nodded in agreement. "Hopefully, in a few days, I'll get my first pay check and I'll be able to get my own flat. Then we can have movie nights at my place." I flipped over and grabbed the last piece of pizza.

"You don't have to..." Ianto sat up. I looked at him, puzzled. "You don't have to get your own flat." He picked at a piece of cheese on the box.

"Really?" I looked at him carefully. He nodded.

"Really. I have the room and we could split the rent." Ianto smiled. "So, what do you think? I mean, you don't have to. It's just an idea."

"Sure."

The next day at work, it was fairly quiet. Mel and Owen got to work late, both looking slightly befuddled. I applauded Mel when she got to her desk.

"You had a good night, I presume?" I laughed. Mel blushed and logged in. "Alright, I see how it is. Block me out of your life." Mel laughed.

"How are you? You disappeared earlier then usual yesterday." She smiled at me, looking at me out of the corner of her eye.

"Jack made me and Ianto go home." I smiled. Mel turned and looked at me wide-eyed. I bit my lip to keep from laughing at her.

"Why?" She now had a smirk on her face. I shook my head. "Aw, come on!" I laughed, shaking my head again.

"You didn't tell me about your life, why should I tell you about mine?" I sent Tosh an email with the codes to the new MI5 database and turned to look at Mel with a smirk.

"Because my life doesn't involve getting sent home early! Speak!" I laughed at her again. "Come on, tell me!"

"He caught Ianto and I, uh, kissing in the archives." I lowered my voice. Mel's eyes widened again.

"It's about time!" She laughed loudly. Tosh and Willow turned to look at her. I quickly turned back to my computer. "So...how was it?" I rolled my eyes. "I'm sorry I asked."

"It was amazing, spectacular, breathtaking." I said with a flat, uninterested voice. "Happy now?" Mel nodded and looked back to her computer.

"I'm still not telling you what happened last night."


	16. Chapter 16

As the day went on, post-it notes began to show up on my desk. They each had little messages like "you look beautiful today." After lunch, there were even flowers. I could see Jack eying them all up too. He watched from inside his office, clearly not happy at all. He stood up from his desk as Ianto started towards my desk with a cup of coffee. Jack walked over to Willow's desk and kissed her. I saw Ianto roll his eyes.

"You trying to make me jealous, Jack?" Ianto called from across the room. Jack looked up and shook his head.

"Of course not." Jack strode over to Ianto. "Why? Is it working?" He smiled, his face an inch away from Ianto's.

"Jack, your whole "seductive" act doesn't work on me. It just makes you look like a lose man whore." Ianto kept his calm. Jack pulled away and glanced at me.

"You know, Charlotte, he's just using you to make me jealous." Jack nodded. "Let's be honest, it does seem rather sudden." Jack smiled.

"Jack! Stop dragging her into this when we both know this is about us!" Ianto looked Jack over. "I've played your game for a year. I'm done, jack. I don't want to be your casual shag anymore. I don't want to be at your beckoning call 24/7 because you "need me." And, if you actually paid attention to anyone but yourself, you'd see that I haven't been happy for a while." Ianto let out a sigh. "I can't do this anymore. I'm done."

Jack stood still, staring at Ianto. I looked at the ground, not wanting to get in the middle of a fight again.

"Ianto, I don't need you." He snapped back before storming into his office and slamming the door.

Jack didn't come out of his office all day. Willow went in there to keep him company, but otherwise, we all went back to work like normal. Ianto still put the occasional post-it on my desk, but they were more "Sorry about earlier," and "We need to talk about what happened earlier." I kept my mind busy working on an autopsy with Mel and Owen.

My mind kept wandering back to Jack. The look in his face when Ianto told him off. The feeling was still there when Ianto and I went home. I rested my head on the window and sighed.

"You're awfully quiet." Ianto's hand rested on mine. I shrugged and pulled my hand onto my lap. Ianto nodded and didn't say anything.

"I'm sorry, I'm just thinking." I said after a few minutes. I looked out the window, closing my eyes. Ianto smiled slightly.

"Aren't you always?" He laughed. I smiled and nodded. "Anything in specific?" I shrugged again.

"Jack. He seemed really upset today." I sighed. Ianto nodded and turned into the parking garage for his building.

"I guess you already know, about Jack and I." Ianto said quietly as we sat in the car. I nodded slowly. "I'm not...gay. It's only him. Well, was only him. It started during a time in my life, after my girlfriend died, that I lost some meaning. Jack helped me find meaning again. Now, I know who I am. I don't need Jack anymore." Ianto smiled. "Don't worry about Jack. He's just being melodramatic."

"Hello?" Ianto was in the shower when his phone went off. I grab it off the table and answered it for him.

"Charlotte?" Willow hissed my name. "Where's Ianto?" I peered down the hall. The water was still running.

"In the shower. Is there anything I can help you with?" I balanced the phone between my shoulder and ear while I stirred the pasta I had on the stove.

"Tell him he broke Jack." She said, annoyed.

"What do you mean?" I froze, walking into the hallway.

"Jack, he tried to kill himself and won't speak to anyone. Not even me." Her voice sounded tired and scared. I sighed.

"He just got out of the shower. Want him to call you back?" I stood at the end of the hallways, Ianto reappearing in a t shirt and jeans.

"No, he'll know what to do." She hung up and I did too. Ianto started towards his room, still drying his hair with a towel.

"Ianto?" I peered down the hall. He looked up and smiled. "Um, Willow just called." His smile lessened.

"Is there a spike in the rift?" He folded the towel he was holding and put it over his arm. I shook my head.

"She said to tell you that you broke Jack." Ianto's head snapped up, his eyes wide. "What?"

"I have to go. Now." He grabbed his keys off the table and hurried to the front door. I followed him.

"Will you be back for dinner?" I looked at him, sadly. He shook his head.

"I doubt it." He kissed me quickly. "I'm sorry!" He closed the door behind him, leaving me alone with the smell of burning noodles.


	17. Chapter 17

I must have fallen asleep on the couch because at 10pm, I woke up to the sound of knocking on the front door. I stumbled to open the door, yawning.

Ianto stood with a very sickly looking Jack. Ianto was supporting all his weight and carried Jack into his room.

"Um...Yan?" My brain wasn't working at the moment. Ianto closed his door and smiled at me. I rubbed my eyes and yawned.

"Shh...let him sleep. I'm giving Willow the night off. He won't be a bother." Ianto smiled again and kissed the top of my head before going into the kitchen.

"There's leftover pizza in the fridge." I yawned again, standing in the doorway. Ianto pulled out the box and ate a piece while he dug around for a bottle opener for his beer.

"I hate Jack sometimes." Ianto dropped onto the couch and yawned. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. I sat next to him and rested my head on his shoulder.

"I wonder why." I grumbled, sarcastically. Ianto rubbed his temple and played with my hair with the other hand.

"He does this at least twice a year. Something happens and then, we end up right back where we started." Ianto yawned. "If he keeps this up, I'll kill him myself."

I woke up a few hours later, still on the couch. The room was still dark, but I could see two figures sitting on the floor against the wall.

"Jack, I'm sorry about yesterday." Ianto whispered. I closed my eyes again, once again eavesdropping on them.

"I don't blame you. I guess I just wasn't ready to let you go." Jack's voice sounded raw and tired.

"You know I'll always love you. I just need to start a new chapter in my life. I can't live forever...I couldn't watch you stay the same when I keep getting older. I need someone I can grow old with." I couldn't help but smile.

"You really like her, don't you?" Jack laughed weakly.

"I really do." I couldn't contain myself.

"Awww..." Ianto laughed when my eyes opened.

"Good morning, Charlie."

"Hi...I didn't mean to eavesdrop..." I bit my lip.

"It's okay." Ianto helped Jack stand up and glanced at me.

"I'll let you two have a moment alone." I smiled at them both. As I left the room, I saw them lean in to kiss each other.

Willow nearly tackled us when Ianto and I arrived at work with Jack. Jack smiled at her and scooped her up into his arms, kissing her.

"Jack, you're actually okay!" Willow was smiling from ear to ear. I smiled too as Ianto and I stood to the side, watching them. Jack put her down and Willow turned to us.

"Uh, thank guys. A lot. I was really worried about him." She hesitated for a moment before giving both Ianto and I a hug. "I don't know how you did it, but this is the fastest he's recovered." She smiled one more time at us and then at Jack before returning to her desk. Jack glanced at Ianto and smiled too. It was touching, the connection between them. I could feel deep down inside of me a twinge of jealousy though. It was a little strange to me because I knew that their relationship was over, but Jack had something I didn't have, at least not yet. He had Ianto's heart. I stood there, staring at Jack's office door for a while, lost in thought.

"Charlie?" I snapped out of it when Ianto handed me a cup of coffee. "You okay? You were staring off in to space." He chuckled softly. I smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine." I took the cup and walked over to my desk. I sat down in my chair and returned to staring at Jack's door, trying to comfort myself.


	18. Chapter 18

"Hey, Charlie. It's your lucky day." Jack smiled down at me when I looked up from some paperwork I was working on. "We got an alien that needs some catching." I just looked at him.

"Yes?" I absently played with the cap of my pen. Jack smiled.

"I mean, you can go on a mission?" Jack laughed. I stared at him, confused for a few moments. "Charlotte?"

"Oh, uh, thanks. A lot." I smiled. Jack nodded. "I was a little worried I'd be stuck doing paperwork all the time." I laughed, capping my pen.

"Of course not, your brain might come in handy." He took a sip from a cup of coffee in his hand. I blushed slightly. Now that people actually appreciated my brains, I found I was more humble about it.

"Thanks. Let me grab my coat." I closed my file and logged off. Jack gave another smile and went into his office. I pulled on my black pea-coat and went into the front desk. Ianto smiled when I walked in.

"Hey, where are you off to?" He stood up and leaned against his desk. I bit my cheek and smiled.

"I'm going alien hunting." I was beaming with joy. I was really excited to get out there and actually do something useful. Ianto raised his eyebrows.

"Really?" He smiled. I nodded, jumping up and down. He laughed. "You go get in the SUV, I am going to go talk to Jack. I'll meet you out there." He kissed me on the cheek and disappeared into the hub. I watched him and sighed quietly before turning to walk outside.

"Charlotte, you and Melanie go around the back." Jack was speaking into my new earpiece. I nodded and followed Mel around the back. She glanced behind her every few moments to make sure I was still there. I would smile at her every time.

"Charlie, take this." Mel held out a gun. I looked at it, hesitant to take it. She motioned for me to take it. I took it, surprised by the weight. "Just stay behind me." I nodded.

We walked into a dimly lit alley between the two buildings. I stepped lightly, careful to stay silent. Mel pulled open a heavy metal door, pointing her gun in. She motioned for me to follow. I held my gun tightly and slipped in behind her.

The building was surprisingly bright. Florescent lights loomed above us. Jack, Ianto and Owen were on the opposite side of the large room, scanning every inch. I followed behind Mel, but my eyes were on Jack and Ianto. Ianto followed closely behind Jack, his whispers echoing. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but it caused a twinge in my stomach. I quickly snapped out of it and stood next to Mel.

"It says that there is strong rift activity here. Witnesses say people have just collapsed, dead. Whatever it is, we can't see it." Owen walked over to us. "If you sense anything, be on alert." We all nodded and the room fell silent again.

We walked through the room several times, looking for any clues to help us figure out who was doing this. Every once in a while, I felt a cool breeze against my face but nothing else. I quickly caught up with Jack.

"Jack, I keep feeling a breeze." I kept my voice down and looked around. Jack nodded and looked around.

"If you feel it again, tell me." I agreed and walked back over to Mel. I froze when I felt a icy breeze and suddenly Jack collapsed. Ianto rushed over to his side. I stood still, watching the two of them. It felt like whenever I saw them together, I couldn't function. I jumped when I felt the icy breeze again. I tried to move, but it felt like the icy breeze froze around me. I tried to take a deep breath to calm myself down, but air was running out until I felt lightheaded and my knees gave out.

"CHARLIE!" Mel hurried over, her hands on my arms like fire. Suddenly, we were enveloped in a bright light.

"Charlie, are you okay?" Mel's hand felt normal against my skin and I was gulping in air. I blinked open my eyes to see the warehouse ceiling. "Charlie, please say something?" I slowly sat up and looked at Melanie.

"What the hell was that?" I looked around the warehouse for Jack, but no one was here besides Mel and I. "And where is everyone else?" Mel looked around as she helped me into a standing position.

"Maybe they're outside waiting for us?" Her voice didn't sound very convincing. I nodded as we slowly walked out of the warehouse and into the bright sunny day. We walked around to the side of the building we had parked on, but froze when we got there. The SUV was gone.

"They wouldn't leave us here, would they?" I said in a quiet voice. Mel shook her head, looking puzzled.

"Let me call Jack." She pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and dialed. "Hello? It's Melanie. Where are you guys?...the hub?...yeah...we will be there in a few minutes." She hung up and looked at me. "They're at the hub?" she shrugged.


	19. Chapter 19

We trudged into the hub after walking the entire way back. Jack was talking to Ianto, but Ianto looked up when I walked in the room. It made me smile, he hadn't done that before, especially when he was talking to Jack. He smiled back and wandered over.

"Honey, you have to stop leaving your ring in the bathroom." He took my left hand into his and slid a silver ring onto my finger. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. I looked at Mel, who had the same look on her face. "Don't look so surprised, you've been wearing it for almost a year." Ianto laughed and tilted my chin up to kiss me. I pulled away slightly. Ianto looked down at me, looking hurt and confused.

"Um, I think, I think I feel a cold sore coming on." I made a face a bit my lip. Ianto furrowed his eyebrow and nodded. "Sorry." He smiled and shook his head.

"Its fine, babe. Remember, we have a meeting with the wedding planner tonight." Ianto kissed me on the forehead and went back over to his desk. I turned to Mel, my eyes wide.

"I'm engaged?" I hissed through my teeth. She shrugged, looking just as confused. "Something seriously weird is going on." I hurried over to the closest desk, Mel's. I logged on to my account and looked at the date. April 5th, 2012. We were six years in the future. "Mel?" I whispered. She walked over, but froze. She picked up a picture frame from her desk.

"Who is this?" She showed me the picture of a boy about 5 years old. He had familiar eyes and was smiling happily. I took the picture and stared at it.

"Takes after her mother." Owen smiled as he walked over. "Speaking of which, my mum is taking Daniel for the night." Owen wrapped his arms around Mel's waist and kissed her neck. Mel was staring at me with the same expression I had a few minutes before. She wiggled out of his arms and stared at him.

"Um...what the hell?" she narrowed her eyes.

"What? Am I not allowed to kiss my wife?"

"Wife?" Mel squeaked. I bit my lip to hold back a laugh. Her eyes looked like they'd bug out of her head. "Um...oh yeah. I'm not... Feeling all that great." she sank into an empty chair and rubbed her temples.

"Baby, is there anything I can do to help?" Owen knelt down next to her and took one her hands in his. It was then I notices the ring on her left hand. Mel shook her head.

"No, I'm fine." she tried to keep her voice from shaking. I moved over and put a hand on her back. "Charlie...this is too much. I have a son named Daniel and I'm married! To Owen!" she groaned softly. I bit my lip.

"It takes Ianto six years to propose to me? What the hell?" I laughed slightly. Mel cracked a smile. "I am going to give him a serious talking to." Mel laughed and sighed.

"Is it a little weird to say...I wouldn't mind being stuck here?" Mel smiled. "I'm happily married, I have a kid and I have a great job." we both laughed.

"Mel, can I stop by your house tonight?" we walked over to get coffee, chatting quietly. Ianto looked up from his desk and stared at me.

"Charlie, every time you walk in the room, I am reminded of how lucky I am to be marrying you." He smiled sweetly at me and I felt myself stifle a swoon. I saw Mel roll her eyes and laugh.

"You two are adorable. Ianto Jones, how is the world did it take you so long to propose to this girl?" I turned beet red at Mel's words. Ianto laughed.

"She's got you bothering me about it too? Well, I had to be absolutely positive she was the one. And she left me for a year and a half to study in America!" he smiled. "I don't mind, she's all mine now." he kissed my cheek. "I love you." I blushed.

"I, I love you too." I smiled, stumbling over the words. He gave me one last smile before returning to his work.


	20. Chapter 20

After work, I went with Mel to pick up her son from school. I sat in the car as he ran over to her and hugged her waist. She smiled down at him and scooped him up.

"-and then I drew a picture of a turtle and have it to her and she said it was the prettiest turtle she had ever seen!" He giggled as he climbed into his car seat and Mel buckled him in.

"Sounds like you had a busy day!" Mel smiled at him and laughed as we pulled out of the parking lot.

"Auntie Charlie!" Daniel giggled when I turned to look at him. "Mommy says you and Uncle Ianto are gonna be just like mommy and daddy!" he smiled and bounced up and down in his seat. I looked at Mel who just smiled.

"Yes, Uncle Ianto and I are gonna be just like mommy and daddy." I smiled back at him. He clapped his hands.

"Yay! And then I can be the big cousin and play with my little cousins!" He smiled as I tried to keep my face in a smile. This five year old was telling me I was going to have kids! He wanted me to have kids! What if Ianto wanted to have kids? I nodded and turned back to look out the window, my stomach twisting in knots.

When we got to Mel's house, Owen was cooking dinner. Daniel scurried into the kitchen and Mel looked at me, terrified.

"I have a kid. I have to take care of this kid. I don't know what I'm doing..." She kept her voice down and we sat in the living room. I sighed.

"I think you're a great mother." I smiled and looked around the room. Toys were scattered in one corner, there were pictures of Daniel and pictures of Owen and Mel.

"Is this your wedding?" I stopped in front of a picture. Mel was beaming in a white dress and Owen was beside her, staring at her, lovingly. "You look beautiful." Mel stood in front of the picture, smiling.

"I guess that is my wedding." she gave the picture one last glance. "it's weird being here... It's like we are getting a sneak peek of the future. It feels wrong though... We shouldn't know all this..." Mel looked at the floor and I nodded.

"It feels like this is all some weird dream... A dream we shouldn't have had. We know too much..." I sighed. "I should go, Ianto and I are meeting with the wedding planner..." I pulled her into a tight hug. "I kinda wanna go home..."

"Me too..."

I hesitated when I unlocked the door to Ianto's apartment. I could hear him talking to the wedding planner on the other side of the door. I pushed the door open and smiled at them both.

"Sorry, Mel and I got caught up in talking." I set my coat on the counter and stifled a yawn. "Alright, um...what are we working on?" I sat down at the table next to Ianto. He took my hand in his and smiled. I smiled at him too, but then dropped my gaze to the table.

"Seating arrangements." The planner smiled sweetly. I nodded and looked down at the tables she had already filled in. Owen, Tosh, Mel and Jack were all at our table, but Gwen and Rhys were at a different table and Willow was sitting at a completely different table.

"Um, I think there's a mistake. Willow should be next to Jack." I pointed. Ianto laughed, giving my hand a squeeze. "What?"

"Are you feeling alright? Those two haven't spoken to each other in 5 years." Ianto shook his head and looked over the seating.

"What do you mean? Those two are inseparable!" I wrinkled my forehead. "What happened?" Ianto looked at me confused and put a hand to my forehead.

"You sure your okay? I would think you'd remember. It was right after Mel got pregnant. Jack was gonna give her the year off but Willow thought she'd be fine. It led to a huge fight and they haven't spoken since. How about you lay down? Get some rest. You look tired. I'll finish up and be there with some aspirin soon." He kissed me and smiled as I walked into his bedroom.

I laid on his bed, staring at the ceiling. So much happens in six years and I felt so lost. I closed my eyes and sighed.

"Baby, what's on your mind?" I felt the bed sink next to me and then someone rubbing my feet.

"It's been a long day. I guess I'm just... Forgetting things. Nerves." I smiled softly and sighed again. Ianto laid down next to me and wrapped his arm around me.

"Charlotte Harris, I've know you long enough to know that your lying. Hun, tell me the truth." His breath felt hot against my skin. I shrugged.

"Its...not important. I'm just really tired." I rolled over and closed my eyes, pretending to fall asleep. I was wide wake all night.


	21. Chapter 21

The next morning, I convinced Ianto to let me stay home from work. I claimed I needed to go over some wedding details. He kissed me before he left and told me to call if I needed him. I nodded and curled back up in bed.

I woke up again around 9:30 to the phone ringing. I stumbles out of bed and grabbed the phone off the couch.

"Hello?"

"Good morning sleepyhead!" It was Mel. I sighed and sank into the couch. "Ianto's been interrogating me all morning. He says you've been really forgetful and tired. He's really worried. Although, I will admit, it was hilarious when Owen suggested you were pregnant. Ianto's eyes bugged out of his head." I rolled my eyes and yawned.

"I'm not and I repeat, NOT pregnant. It's scientifically impossible." My voice was raspy from lack of sleep. Mel laughed.

"Ianto is aware that you're still a virgin, right?" I froze and buried my face in pillows. "He doesn't know?"

"Not that he doesn't know, I just figured he assumed. He's my first boyfriend and we've never... You know..." I rolled over.

"Yes, I do know. I'm a doctor and I'm a mature adult that is capable of saying the word 'sex'. Sex, sex, sex, sex, sex. There. Your turn." Mel laughed at me.

"Sex..." I said in a soft voice. Mel laughed again.

"Charlie, you are so socially awkward." I rolled my eyes. "Anyways, I'm stopping by after work cause it's Owens turn to pick up Daniel. We have wedding stuff to work on."

"What wedding stuff?" I sat up and went into the kitchen to pour myself a cup of tea. "I have all the wedding stuff taken care of."

"Just say it's wedding stuff. That'll keep Ianto away and Owen will let me stay as long as I want." I smiled and nodded.

"Alright, wedding stuff it is."

Mel and I sat in the living room, a stack of photo albums and picture frames on the table. We had spent the last hour looking through all the pictures. We figured if we were going to be stuck here, we might as well know what was going on.

"Wheres this one from?" I held up a picture of me standing on a beach. My hair was blowing behind me and I was smiling from ear to ear. "The date on the back says it's from may of last year." I handed the picture to Mel who looked over it. She smiled and pointed to my hand in the picture.

"Its the day Ianto proposed." She put the picture down. "He took you to the beach. How romantic." She laughed. I looked at the picture and smiled. I looked so happy. Happier then I had ever seen myself be.

"This must be when you were studying in the US." She handed me a stack of pictures. In every picture, I was standing in front of a monument, blowing a kiss. On the back of each one was a message.

'my ianto, im sending you love from Ohio.'

'my ianto, I miss you more everyday.'

'my ianto, I'll be home soon. I love you.' I smiled at the pictures, looking through each one. "I really love him." I said quietly, more to myself.

"Well, you agreed to marry the man." Mel laughed. "But, yes. You really love him."


	22. Chapter 22

I found I quickly fell into the new life I had. I was buried in wedding plans, and the days quickly flew by until it was a week until my wedding. Mel and I were sitting in her living room getting our final fittings done.

"There are days I forget this isn't where I belong." I was standing in front of Mel's front hall mirror. My dress was fitted into place and my veil fell over my shoulders. "It feels right." I spun around and looked at Mel. "But I know it's wrong. I don't know him the way I should, there are chunks of my life that are missing, I don't want to lose six years of my life." I sighed and pulled the veil out of my hair. Mel stood up next to me.

"I know how you feel. I'm a 25 year old still, locked in the body of a 31 year old. I love Daniel, but I'm not ready to be a mother, I'm forced to be a mother."

We sat in the living room for a while, neither of us saying a whole lot. My mind was on the wedding, insuring every detail was correct. My mind soon drifted to after the wedding. Life after the wedding, having kids, buying a house. It was all foreign to me. I didn't know anything about what was going to happen next.

"Charlie, I have to pick Daniel up from a play-date. Want me to drop you off on the way?" Mel tried to sound upbeat, but there was something in her voice that told me otherwise. We were lost in our own lives.

"Good morning, honey." Ianto whispered into my ear. I smiled and rolled over to bury my face in his chest. "Come on, we have to go to work. I promised Jack we would come into work today since we are missing the next two weeks for our honeymoon." I sighed into his shoulder and slowly sat up. "You still look more beautiful everyday. I can't believe I get to marry you tomorrow." I smiled and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"You know, we could be married already if it hadn't take you so long to ask me." I laughed, rolling out of bed. Ianto chuckled.

"You always go there." He ruffled my hair and kissed me before going into the bathroom to shower. I sat back down on the bed and smiled. I was going to marry that man. The man I had been in love with for six years.

"Charlie, there's some rift activity near the warehouse." Mel whispered, leaning over my desk. I looked up at her, confused for a moment. "Is today one of those days you forget?" Mel seemed slightly aggravated. "We don't belong here. We have to go back, Charlie." My eyes widened and I shook my head.

"Oh no, no, no, no. I'm staying here. Mel, my wedding is tomorrow. I'm happy here!" I tried to keep my voice down. Mel sighed.

"We have to."

Mel and I walked into the warehouse, my feet dragging slightly. Before we left, I had kissed Ianto. He didn't think anything of it, but it was a goodbye. I wanted to stay with him.

"Charlie, there's something over here." Mel grabbed my arm and pulled me into another room of the warehouse. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that I was going to see all this again, I was just going to have to wait.

"Mel, hold on. What if we change the future? Now that we know, what if we make a mistake and it changes? Mel, I can't just leave, knowing I may never be able to get this back. This is the happiest I've ever felt in my entire life. Don't take this away from me." My eyes were starting to sting with tears. Mel pulled me into a hug, rubbing circles on my back.

"I don't want to leave either. I have an amazing life here, but we have to go. We can't stay here forever. We have a life back there...and a future ahead of us. No matter what happens, I know we'll end up like this. Just, trust me on this." She pulled away and took my hand. "The rift activity is getting s-"

A/N:: I just wanted to say "Thank You so much for reading!" I love writing for you guys and I love to hear from you guys, so please review! I would appreciate it so much! :)


	23. Chapter 23

"Ow..." I groaned as my head hit the cement. "I think I just got permanent brain damage." I blinked my eyes open to be staring right at the warehouse ceiling, this time it was dark. "Mel, Mel, what day is it?"

Mel rolled over and dug around in her jeans for her cell phone. I smiled when I saw that both her and my rings were still on our fingers.

"It's June 12th, 2006." Mel smiled as she helped me stand up. "We've been gone for two and a half months." She dusted herself off and looked around the warehouse. "If I know Jack, and I know him fairly well, he'll be here in a matter of minutes after the size of that rift spike." I nodded and looked at the floor. Everything that had happened was floating around my brain, foggy like waking up from a dream. I bit my lip and sighed quietly.

"Guys, there's someone in here." I heard a muffled voice say. My stomach felt all warm as I placed the voice. It was Tosh. Mel and I slowly walked towards the opening door. "Hello?"

"TOSH!" I laughed, a spring in my step. Tosh froze in the door, her mouth hanging open. I laughed. "Tosh, I've miss you so much!" I pulled her into a hug and smiled. Tosh stood still, then wrapped her arms around me tightly.

"Charlotte, I am so glad to see you. We were worried you guys had died or something. All of a sudden, you were just...gone." She pulled away and bit her lip. "I'll be right back. I have to go do something." She ran out of the warehouse. Mel and I stepped out into the cloudy day and looked around. The SUV was parked about 100 yards away. Jack and Owen were walking over, Jack a few feet behind Owen. As they got closer, Owen ran the rest of the way over to Mel.

"Mel!" He hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms tightly around her and pulling her into a hug. "You're safe." He said relieved. I smiled at the two of them. Mel bit her lip and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. Owen pulled away slightly, but then kissed her back. I laughed to myself as Jack stared at the two of them. When Mel pulled away, Owen looked bewildered.

"What was that for?" He laughed. Mel blushed and looked at the floor.

"Just because." She laughed. Jack looked at her and then at me, knowingly. "Is Ianto here?" Mel laughed, looking at me before looking at Jack. Jack shook his head.

"Ianto, well, Ianto hasn't come into work for a while." Jack said with a straight face. My stomach twisted into knots and I felt light-headed.

"Is...he's alright, isn't he?" Mel came over and put a comforting hand on my shoulder in hopes of calming me down. I just stood there, imagining the worst. Scared that my future that I longed to return to would not happen. Jack nodded.

"He's better then he used to be. If you want, I'll drop you off at his apartment after Owen makes sure you're okay." Jack smiled at me and patted me on the back. "Let's get you back to the hub."

It was stony silent the entire ride home. Mel and I were exhausted and were drifting in and out of sleep the entire time. I smiled when Mel fell asleep on Owen's shoulder, but the majority of the ride, my mind was far away. My mind was on Ianto. I wanted to make sure he was okay, to hold him close to me, to kiss him. I wanted to see him.

"Charlotte?" Jack was standing with the door open. I snapped out of my thought and got out of the car. Jack rested his hand on my shoulder and led me to the hub.

I sat on the exam table, staring at the floor. Owen was running some tests on my blood. Mel was sitting on the counter across from me.

"Charlie, are you okay?" Owen looked at me, swirling around a solution. I looked up and nodded quietly. "You're done for right now, so if you want to tell Jack you're finished, I'm sure he'd bring you over to Ianto's." Owen gave me a smile and helped me off the table.

"Thanks." I said quietly. Owen nodded. I gave one last look at a smiling Mel before walking into Jack's office.


	24. Chapter 24

"Charlotte, I just want to warn you. I've never seen Ianto like this." Jack stopped me before we got to Ianto's door. I nodded quietly and knocked lightly on the door. It was silent for a moment.

"It's unlocked." A weak voice spoke from the other side of the door. I looked at Jack, worried. He nodded and I pushed open the door.

The apartment looked the same as it always did, but it was a mess. I let Jack walk in ahead of me, but I followed closely behind him.

"Ianto?" Jack knocked on his bedroom door.

"Jack, I told you before. I quit." Ianto sounded tired. I bit the inside of my cheek. Ianto loved his job, why would he quit? Jack looked back at me and motioned for me to speak. I stared at him with wide eyes and shook my head.

"Ianto, this isn't about your job. I, uh, I have a surprise for you." Jack knocked again. I heard the bed springs move and soft footsteps. I hid behind Jack when the door opened slowly, scared to see Ianto in such a vulnerable state.

"Jack, I don't want anything. I just want her back. Everyone I ever get close to, I ever fall in love with, dies. I don't want your surprise." Ianto didn't notice me hiding behind Jack, but it was rather dark.

"Ianto...that's not true." Jack reached out to comfort Ianto, but Ianto pulled away. "Ianto..." Jack moved out of the way to show me, my head hung. I looked up slowly, my eyes filled with tears. Ianto was staring at me, emotionless. His face looked pale and he had dark shadows under his eyes.

"I-Ianto..." My voice hitched. I just stared at him. Ianto reached out and ran a warm hand across my face to wipe away a tear.

"Shh...let me have this moment." He stared at me. I nodded, my cheeks burning with tears. Ianto just stared at me.

"I'm going to leave you two." Jack cleared his throat and let himself out. Ianto didn't even look at him, he just kept his gaze on me. I could feel my stomach feeling warm and bubbly all over again. Ianto's eyes lightened and I felt his arms wrap around my waist.

"I'm never letting you go. Ever again." He leaned down and kissed me, the way he was going to kiss me every morning, six years into the future. The kiss that told me that he loved me.


	25. Chapter 25

"Charlie!" Mel called from across the hub, sitting on Owen's desk. I smiled and walked over to her. She hopped off the desk and looked at Ianto, who was smiling ear to ear as he made coffee. "Ianto looks happier then I've ever seen him. What were you two up to last night?" She had a devilish twinkle in her eye. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm still..." I couldn't get myself to finish the sentence.

"Yes?" Mel crossed her arms

"You know..." I looked away.

"No, I don't. You're still what?" Mel laughed. I made a face.

"Mel...you know I hate talking about that." I whined, keeping my voice down. Mel shook her head. I sighed.

"No, you're 26. You can talk about sex." Mel smiled. I shook my head.

"Mel, if I'm not comfortable talking about it, I shouldn't have to!" I took a deep breath. Mel smiled.

"Alright, fine." She rolled her eyes. "I do have to say, with the way Ianto's looking at you right now, I'd say you may not have to wait long for that proposal." Mel glanced over my shoulder. I looked behind me. Ianto was smiling at me, waiting for the coffee to brew. I smiled back then turned back to Mel.

"Well, if Daniel's birthday is in April, wouldn't that mean that you get...pregnant in July?" I laughed. Mel nodded, her smile faded. "Is something wrong?" I looked at Mel concerned. She shook her head.

"No, it's just...Owen and I were talking about what happened and we started talking about Daniel and...it reminded me of Valerie." She shrugged and walked over to her desk.

"Oh, Mel...I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to." I hurried after her. She sat down at her desk and shook her head.

"It's fine, I swear." She smiled. I nodded and walked over to my desk. On my desk was a piece of notebook paper, next to my cup of coffee.

_This is what I was writing this morning:_

_ I haven't felt this happy in almost three months. I'm glad she's safe._

_ I'm going to marry her someday. This isn't just a dream, it's a fact._

_ I have the exact ring I'm going to give to her, in my pocket. I wanted _

_ to give it to her yesterday...just so I'd know she would be mine forever._

I smiled and folded the paper up and stuck it into the pocket of my jeans. I looked over at Ianto, who was pouring coffee into cups. I bit my lip hard and smiled to myself.

"What you all smiley about?" Willow came over to my desk with a stack of files. I tried to hide my smile, but I couldn't contain myself. "Come on, spill."

"Well, did you hear where Mel and I were?" I took slow deep breaths to calm the fluttering in my stomach. Willow shook her head. "Oh, well, we were...we were six years in the future. And I guess I'm just excited because the future seems to be coming true faster then I anticipated." Willow eyed me for a moment, then smiled.

"I'll leave you to planning your wedding."


	26. Chapter 26

I sat in my spot, staring at my computer screen. I had been looking at the same word for the last five minutes. It had been a week since I Willow had made the comment about my wedding, but it had bothered me. Wedding? The word was strange. I had accepted long ago that no one would love me, that I wouldn't get married, that I would bury myself in work and not have to worry about all those little things. I shook my head in hopes of dropping the worry, but it clung in the back of my mind. It pulled me back to when I was 15, crying in my room.

"Charlotte?" Ulga, my nanny, knocked on the door. I buried my face further in my pillow to stifle the sobs that were escaping from my throat. "Miss Charlotte, come here and talk to Ulga." I didn't hear the door open over the yelling coming from downstairs. I turned away and didn't move. "Charlotte, please talk to me. I can not help if I do not know the problem." I inched away when I felt the bed shift.

"Go away." I tried to keep my voice even. Ulga put a comforting hand on my shoulder, but I shyer away. "I said go away." I bit my lip hard to control my tears, but they still burned like fire on my cheeks. Ulga got up and closed the door quietly behind her.

I rolled over onto my back to stare at the ceiling. It was almost dinner time, so the sun was shining directly in through my window. I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the fight going on downstairs. I walked over to my bookshelf, in hopes of finding a book that could distract me. 'Pride and Prejudice', 'Wuthering Heights', 'Jane Eyre'. All of them were filled with lies, filled with tales of love, filled with happy ideas that make little naive girls believe everyone lives happily ever after. I threw each book off the bookshelf, ripping out the pages and scattering them around the room.

"Lies!" I screamed, my eyes tearing up again. "Its all lies. No one lives happily ever after, it's all lies!" I chucked the last book across the room, breaking the lamp next to my bed.

"Charlotte!" The yelling downstairs stopped to be replaced with loud footsteps and my mother pounding on my door. "Charlotte, you open this door this instant!" She screamed. I turned to look at the door, my eyes blurry with tears.

"Your just going to yell at me. That's all you ever do, yell at me, yell at dad, yell at anyone who ever does anything to make you look bad." I screamed in reply, my throat raw from crying.

"Charlotte Harris, if you do not open this door right this moment-"

"You'll what? I already live in my own personal hell." I collapsed into a pile of tears, my face buried in my knees. I heard the door hit the wall as it flew open.

"Quit being so melodramatic and act your age! I don't have time for this anymore." My mothers bony hands wrapped tightly around my arm and ripped me up into a standing position. "You are a pain in my ass that i am sick of dealing with. Go play with your chemistry set or whatever the hell it is you do and keep your trap shut." My mother gave me the only facial expression I had ever seen on her face. Annoyed and angry. I stared her right back and kept my trap shut, biting the inside of my cheek so hard it bled to keep from crying. If I cried in front of her, it was just another thing wrong. I was weak if I cried, annoying if I spoke and arrogant is I talked about myself. I was always wrong.

The door closed behind her, but I stayed still. I heard the yelling again downstairs. It echoed through the house. I used to be able to ignore it, but these days it was louder and more violent.

"William, you do not have a meeting tonight. I talked to your new assistant. Are you sleeping with her now too? If you are, you may want to educate her on how to lie." It was a fight that I had heard for years, on repeat. My father cheated, my mother is a bitch, 'your daughter is trouble', 'your daughter is a freak', 'she's not my daughter', 'she's not MY daughter', door slams, end fight. My parents marriage had gone downhill fast, and kept going until it drags us all into the depths of Hell. It was then I made the final decision to never get married.

Every marriage I had ever seen fell apart, ended in divorce, which came for my parents the day of my 16th birthday. I knew every fight, backwards and forwards and then suddenly, it stopped. My dad moved out and it was silent. I was old enough to take care of myself, so my nanny was fired. My mother worked all day, didn't even eat dinner with me. When we saw each other, she would comment on how horrible I looked before going back to work. I fell into a routine that tore me apart.

Six months into my parents divorce, I was sitting in my bedroom, alone, like always. My backpack was in front of me and I was cramming a tshirt into a side pocket. I had just finished getting my PhD, so there was no point in me staying any longer. I packed up my backpack and after eating a quick dinner, I walked out my front door. And never turned back.


	27. Chapter 27

"Charlie? Hello, earth to Charlotte!" Mel was waving her hand in front of my face. I blinked and looked at her. "You've been staring off into space for the past five minutes. What are you thinking so deeply about?" She sat on the edge of my desk. I shrugged.

"Nothing." I forced a quick smile and left to go stick a file in a archives, hoping to seek some refuge where I could calm myself down.

I sat in the back corner, my forehead resting on my knees. I was taking deep breaths, trying to force memories I had buried to be be reburied. They wouldn't go away, they clung to me like leeches, sucking everything out of me until I was crying all over again.

"Charlie?" My stomach almost rejected my breakfast at the sound of Ianto's voice. I didn't want him to see me like his, I didn't want anyone to see vulnerable. I wrapped my arms tightly around my legs, forcing myself to stop crying. "Honey, are you okay?" He set the stack of files on the ground and knelt next to me. I looked at him and nodded, still biting my cheek to contain myself. "Were you crying?" I shook my head quickly and stood up, brushing off my jeans. "Charlie, please talk to me. I know something's wrong." Ianto grabbed my arm tightly as I tried to leave. I took a deep breath and ripped my arm free.

"I'm talking. There. Now can I go?" I could feel my hard shell encasing me again, pushing everyone away. Ianto dropped his arm and looked at me, shocked.

"Charlotte, what's wrong with you?" He sounded hurt. I tried to push through my shell, to reach out and apologize, but I was too far buried within.

"Wrong with me? It's always me that's wrong, isn't?" I huffed. I rolled my eyes and began to leave again. Ianto reached out to grab my arm again, but let it fall to his side.

"Babe..." He looked hurt now. I turned and looked back at him. "I'm sorry for whatever I did. I want to fix it." I tried to contain myself, suppress the snarly remarks, but I couldn't fight the beast that had overtaken me.

"This is a problem you can never fix." I sneered before going upstairs and walking out of the hub, leaving behind any humanity I had within me.

I got a hotel room. I didn't even go to Ianto's flat to get my stuff. He could keep it for all I cared. I needed to isolate myself, contain the beast that had grown inside of me. A beast whose sole purpose was to protect me. Protect me from my past, from people who would hurt me and leave me heartbroken. The beast I had kept with me for ten years.

I laid on the bed, staring at the ceiling. My shell was beginning to thin and my past was seeping back in through the cracks. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to contain my tears. I didn't allow myself to cry, a habit I had picked up at an early age. It was too quiet, I could feel my emptiness taking over again. When you depend on only yourself for ten years, it leaves behind some severe effects. I sat up and tucked my knees under my chin. It was a hollow feeling, loneliness. My body ached from the loss of filling. I had grown used to feeling whole.

There's was a knock on my door. It was around 8pm and I had been drifting in and out of sleep, fighting off nightmares of my past. I stared at the door, listening to it knock a few times.

"Charlotte?" I froze at the sound of Jacks voice. "Can we talk?" I took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

"Talk." I hissed. Jack looked at me, confused.

"Whats gotten into you?" He furrowed his eyebrows. I stared at him, seeming annoyed. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you why you left so suddenly. We had work to do and could have used your help." Jack let himself into the room, setting his coat on the bed. "So, please, enlighten me." I rolled my eyes.

"Jack, I don't really have time to fill you in on very little detail of my life. I left because I felt like it." I sneered, leaning against the still open door. "And now, you can leave me to my beauty sleep." I pointed out the door. Jack shook his head and smiled.

"Nope, sit, you're going to tell me every detail of your life. I've got all night."


	28. Chapter 28

Jack and I sat across from each other, staring. Jack was waiting for me to share my life story and I wasn't going to crack.

"Charlotte, you are going to have to tell me eventually, otherwise I can just find it out for myself. We are all worried about your sudden change and we want you to come back to work because we missed you today." Jack kept his ground but moved over to sit next to me. I inched away and crossed my arms.

"Its none of your business." I said in a low voice. Jack sighed and nodded. "How come you have to know everything about us but none of us know a thing about you?" I raised an eyebrow. Jack looked away.

"Because my past is...complicated. It's something I keep buried deep in my subconscious because if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to do my job." He looked back at me. "My past is the future. I was born in the 51st century." Jack smiled. "Now it's your turn." He put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "I swear that anything that is said here will stay here." I shrugged off his hand, but tried to dig deep inside of me to access my memories.

"My past sounds similar to yours," I said slowly. "I buried it deep within me to protect myself from it." I looked down at my hands, bracing myself for the emotional shock that would happen when 16 years of memories come flooding back. I took slow deep breaths and bit my lip. "Where do you want me to start?" I asked quietly.

"Anywhere you want."

"Miss Charlotte?" Sofia, my nanny from Russia, peered into my room. I was sitting on the floor, coloring in my new coloring book. I was six.

"Yes?" I smiled up at her as she closed the door behind her. She sat down next to me and looked at my picture.

"Your mother and father are going to be gone for the weekend, so it will just be you and I!" She smiled at me, trying to sound upbeat. I didn't look up. I had heard the same thing every Friday morning.

"Aren't you excited?" Sofia's speech was the same every week as well. I nodded, focusing on the shade of red to color the rose in the picture. When I finished coloring, I looked up.

"Sofia, mommy and daddy don't love me, do they?" I asked. Sofia looked taken back, then walked over to my window to adjust the curtains. "Sofia, it's wrong to lie." I sometimes scared my nannys with how mature I was. Sofia turned around.

"My dear, it is not that they don't love you..." She trailed off. "Mommy and daddy are very busy people." I nodded and looked back down at my crayons.

"Mommy and daddy don't love me." I whispered, turning to a new picture. Sofia didn't deny, she just sighed and kissed my cheek.

"I'll always love you."

Jack looked at me, confused. I looked down at my hands, picking at a hangnail. Jack was quiet for a moment.

"So mommy and daddy didn't love you?" He tried to make a joke of it, but I glared at him.

"Quit being an asshole." Jack raised his hands in the air as if surrendering.

"I'm sorry. Continue."

My mother was out of town for the weekend, but my father had a business meeting the next day. I was ten and my nanny had a night off. I was reading in my room. I had heard my father come home, but I didn't leave my room. It was past my bedtime, but I couldn't sleep. I curled up under my blankets and continued reading by my flashlight.

As I was starting to drift off, I heard a scream come from down the hallway. I bolted out of bed and towards the end of the hallway. I heard thumping around in my fathers room. I quietly pushed open the door, peering in.

It was dark, but I heard heavy breathing and groans coming from around the corner. I walked quietly in and peered around the frame of the doorway.

"Oh...right there..." A rough whisper hissed from the bed. My eyes adjusted to see someone kneeling on the bed. "Oh...mmm." My breath caught in my throat and I screamed. Two figures bolted up.

"GET OUT!" My father's voice bellowed. I ran out of the room, my heart racing. I slammed my door behind me and locked it, my breathing shallow. I sank to the floor, my back against the door and buried my face in my knees.

I felt like throwing up. Jack rubbed big circles on my back as I tried to pull myself together. I bit my lip, my chest aching from lack of crying.

"You walked in on your father?" Jack raised an eyebrow. I nodded and looked at him.

"It was the fact he forgot I was there. He forgot I existed." I said quietly. "That was the only thing my father said to me, as well. Get out..." I sighed. Jack nodded slowly.

"I'm sorry."

"That's not even the worst of it."

"CHARLOTTE! Get down here this minute!" My mother called up the stairs. I looked up from my metaphysics textbook and sighed. There was only one reason why my mother would speak to me. She had just fired my 4th nanny, I was 12. I set my book aside and stood at the top of the stairs.

"Yes, mother?" I put on my best fake smile and walked slowly down the stairs. She looked at her watch.

"Let's go, I haven't got all day!" My mother crossed her arms. I hurried my pace and skipped the last stair. "That's better." I gave her another smile, but bit the inside of my cheek.

"What is it you want, mother?" I asked politely. My mother took hold of my wrist and dragged me into the living room.

"Sit." She pointed at the couch. I sat down and smiled up at her. "Quit smiling, it's sickening. I have to go into work and then I have a colleague coming over. I want this house spotless. Get to work." She turned on her heels and walked out the door, leaving me sitting there.

When my mother returned home from work, I was finishing wiping off the last window. I smiled, proud at my mother. She ran her finger along the table and scoffed.

"This is horrible. Why are you so useless?" she slowly walked over to me, her arms crossed tight across get chest.

"Do it again." She hissed before the familiar sting of the back of her hand returned to my cheek.

"She hit you?" Jack whispered. I nodded. He sighed and ran a hand through my hair. "Come here." He whisperer, opening his arms. I bit my lip, hesitating. Jack looked at me, a comforting smile on his face. I leaned into him, burying my face in his shoulder. Jack stroked my hair and for the first time in my life, I broke down into tears in front of someone.

"Charlotte?" Jack whispered after I had calmed down. "Are you going to tell me why you left?" I looked up, my eyes blurry from tears. I snuggled and nodded.

"Ianto started talking about marriage. I needed to get away." I whispered with a raw voice. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Why is that a bad thing?" He didn't even crack a smile. I bit the inside of my cheek.

"I hate marriage." I clenched my jaw. Jack nodded, waiting for a further explanation. "I don't want to get married...ever..." I trailed off.

"Yes?" I took a deep breath.

"Ever again." I whispered.

"Again?" Jack sounded more concerned then surprised.

"Yes...again. I got married 6 years ago." Jacks eyes bugged out of his head. I gnawed at my lip, staring at the floor. "I divorced him two years later." I whispered.

"Was it really that horrible?" Jack asked. I looked up at him, my eyes tearing up from the memory.

"His name was Justin Cain. He was 12 years older then me...I was 20 and naive and he said he would take care of me." I bit my lip hard. "That's a lie."

"Baby, I'm home!" Justin's voice echoed down the hallway. I was sitting in the kitchen, putting dinner on the table. My hands were shaking. "Dinner's on the table! Good girl." He kissed me and slapped my ass before sitting down. I swallowed hard and sat down across from him. He dug into his food, but I didn't eat a scrap. I felt sick to the stomach.

"Um...Justin?" I swallowed. "Honey?" The word taste like vomit on my tongue. Justin looked up from his newspaper as we laid in bed. "It's...about the baby." I bit the inside of my cheek hard. Two days earlier, I had a little growing thing in my stomach. Today...I had nothing except a bruise from Justin's fist.

"What about it?" He didn't even look up, completely unaware of what he had done the day before. Drugs and alcohol mixed do that to people.

"Um..." I fought to get the words out. "I...I had a miscarriage." My voice shook slightly on the last word. "I heard they can be fairly common..." Justin looked up, his forehead winkled into thought.

"Darling, why didn't you tell me?" He smiled. I bit my lip, recognizing the foggy look in his eye. He got it when he had a few to many drinks. I shrugged. "Well, we can try again, right?" I bit my lip and nodded slowly. "Well, why are we wasting our time?" I froze.

"Justin, honey...please...can we not?" I kept my honey-sweet smile on my face. Justin shook his head.

"Aww, baby, don't be like that. Haven't you always wanted to be a mommy?" He set his newspaper down and began inching towards me.

"Please...It's...not healthy for me..." I shyed away from his hand as he stroked my arm. "Another night?" I began to get up, but Justin grabbed my wrist tightly and pulled me back down.

"Tonight is as good as any." He whispered into my ear. I suppressed a shiver and stayed still. "Come on, baby..."

"No..." My voice shook slightly again. Justin yanked me backwards and held my arm to my side.

"I believe I have final say as I do pay for the food you eat and the roof above your head." He narrowed his eyes. I stared at him, my insides screaming for him to let go. I didn't break eye contact as his eyes drew closer. My body tensed and I closed my eyes tightly, stifling the scream for help on the tip of my tongue.

"No..." was all I got out before everything went black and the room turned ice cold.

Jack stared at me, his eyes wider then before. I didn't speak, I just let the story hang. Jack pulled me into a hug and held me there. I let my arms hang by my sides before weakly wrapping them around him and crying again.

"He..." Jack couldn't even finish the sentence. I nodded, biting my lip hard. "What...happened to him after that?" I stared at the floor for a moment.

"He got arrested for killing someone in a drunk driving accident. He was under the influence of cocaine as well. The day he got locked away was the day I filed for divorce." I whispered. "Jack?" My voice was stronger now.

"Yeah?" He gave a weak smile to comfort me.

"Can I go home?" I looked up at him, still blurry from all my tears. Jack nodded.

"Of course, I'll drive you." He stood up and wrapped his coat around my bare shoulders.

"And...don't tell anyone. I'll tell them when I'm ready." I pulled the coat tight around me. Jack nodded again.

"Of course."


	29. Chapter 29

Jack walked me to Ianto's door. We stopped just outside and Jack put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Charlie, thank you for sharing all that with me." He smiled and gave me a quick hug before knocking on Ianto's door. The door opened and Ianto's head poked out.

"Oh, thank God!" The door flew open and Ianto pulled me into a rib-crushing hug. I wrapped my arms around him and burst into tears. "Wait...Charlotte, honey..." Ianto whispered into my ear. I sniffled and looked up at him. "Honey, what's wrong?" I bit my lip and looked at Jack. He smiled and looked at the ground, leaving us alone. I turned back to Ianto and buried my face in his shoulder again. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into the apartment.

"Charlotte, take a deep breath." He tilted my chin up and looked me in the eyes. "Charlotte, honey, please tell me what's wrong?" I bit my lip and looked away. "Please? I want to help." I nodded.

"I haven't really cried in 21 years." I whispered. Ianto's eyes widened and he pulled me close. His fingers ran through my hair and he buried his face in my hair.

"Why haven't you cried?" He whispered after a few moments. I wiped my nose on my sleeve and took a deep breath.

"You might want to sit down for this."

"My mother and father, they were always at work. I could tell from a young age that they didn't want me, that I was a mistake. They gave me to a long line of nannies to raise me and if they had anything to say to me, it was a negative comment. If I cried, they told me to stop being such a weakling and suck it up. I taught myself not to cry. After 21 years, I guess it started to drive me crazy. I ran away from home when I was 16, so i've been alone for the last ten years of my life...I actually have friends and people that love me...it scared me." I whispered, Ianto's hand clasped tightly in mine. Ianto's other arm was wrapped around my waist, holding me close to him.

"That's the thing about love...it can be scary." Ianto buried his face in my hair and took a deep breath. "I love you and it scares me sometimes, because there's so much about you I don't understand." Ianto pulled away and looked me in the face. "I want to understand." I nodded and looked at the floor.

"There are things about me I don't even understand." I whispered. Ianto nodded. I rested my head on his shoulder and played with his fingers. "Ianto?"

"Hm?"

"I-" I bit my lip and took a deep breath. "You know how people say that sometimes you just have to leap into the air and hope someone will catch you?" Ianto nodded. "You'd catch me, right?"

"Of course." He smiled amd kissed the top of my head.

"Good, cause, Ianto...um..." I bit my lip again.

"Yeah? You can tell me." Ianto's fingers intertwined with mine and he kissed the back of my hand.

"I...I think, I might be, possibly, falling in love with you." I said quickly. Ianto laughed.

"Charlotte Harris, you make me smile. I love you too." He kissed me and then smiled. "Now, we have work in the morning. Off to bed." He scooped me up and lead me into my room and set me down on my bed. "Sweetest dreams, cariad." I smiled and nodded.

"Night." He kissed me one last time before closing the door behind him and going to bed.

I laid in bed that night, staring at the ceiling. My mind was stuck in one place. I was genuinely happy, but something inside of me felt...off. I tried to place it, tried to figure out where the feeling was coming from. I couldn't put my finger on it, but it was in there somewhere and it was beginning to worry me. It worried me that even when I was safe at home with my boyfriend, the next morning was going off to a great job where I was getting paid by the truckload, I still wasn't completely content. Why couldn't I just be happy for once in my life? Why did there always have to be something wrong? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I almost burst out laughing at my next thought. I thought about all the childhood book I had read, where the little girl/boy/bunny/puppy/whatever would wake up and go into their parents room and sleep in their parents bed. I had never done that in my entire life. So when I wrapped my blanket around me and went across the hallways, I was giggling quietly the whole time. I pushed open the door.

The room was dark and Ianto was a lump on the far side of his bed. I stood in the doorway, weighing my options. I thought about ever aspect of the situation. Then realized it was completely bullshit. I thought too much and that was my downfall. I bit my lip and scuffled across the floor. I sat down on the edge of the bed, opposite Ianto and looked over my shoulder at him. He moved slightly, but his soft snore didn't stop. I smiled and yawned, laying my head on the pillow next to his. I closed my eyes and felt myself being dragged into unconciousness.


	30. Chapter 30

When I woke up, a felt something on my side. I moved slightly to see what it was, but didn't move much till I felt the warm body behind me. I smiled and dropped my head back down on my pillow.

"Good morning." I laughed as Ianto rested his head on my shoulder. "What time is it?"

"7:24." Ianto yawned. I nodded and rubbed my eyes. "When did you decided to sleep in here?" Ianto laughed. I shrugged.

"I couldn't sleep." I said indifferent and walked into the hallway without another word. Ianto followed right behind me, still in his pajamas. It was odd to see Ianto is his pajamas, especially since the majority of the time, I saw him in a suit. He was wearing an old grey tshirt and a pair of blue plaid pajama pants. Ianto nodded and pulled out the carton of milk and took a gulp.

"I will accept that answer for now, but you're going to have to get more creative." Ianto laughed. I crossed my arms.

"But it's the truth!" I smiled. Ianto nodded again.

"Alright, now go get ready for work. Jack wanted us there...five minutes ago." He smiled and kissed my forehead, walking back into his room.

The ride to work was fairly quiet, only the soft hum of the radio. I think we were both pretty tired, so it didn't surprise me that we were so quiet. It was as we parked the car that Ianto's phone with off.

"Can you get that?" Ianto glanced down at it as it vibrated in the cupholder. I nodded and picked it up.

"Hello?" There was a second pause.

"Charlie? Oh thank god...um...are you guys almost here?" Mel sounded out of breath on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, we just pulled up. Why?" I said slowly, getting out of the car.

"Um...I'll tell you when you get down here." Mel said quickly before hanging up. I hung up and stared at Ianto's phone before handing it back to him. "That was weird..."

"Who was it?" Ianto walked in to the facade tourist office and set his coat on his car.

"It was Mel. She wants to talk to me." I gave him a quick smile before hurrying downstairs.

"Mel?" I called as I walked towards her desk. She was sitting in her chair, tapping her desk with one hand and biting her nail on the other. Her head popped up and she jumped up. "What is it you want to tell me?" Mel put a finger to my lip and dragged me by the hand down into the now empty cell-room.

"Charlie...you know how Daniel was almost six...?" Mel bit her lip. I looked at her confused. "Come on, genius..." She sighed and pointed to her stomach. My eyes widened.

"You're pr-"

"I don't know for sure...I came in early today because last night I was feeling sick all last night and it is almost July and so I wanted to check. My results should be ready in a few minutes. Owen doesn't know that I took a test, so keep your trap shut until I tell him." Mel looked at her watch and bit her lip. "Care to come with me to see the results?" I nodded and followed her upstairs.

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